THE EMORY SPORTS Drugs Complicated apply courts are quiet after nearly all of the Atlanta Hawks gamers have left for the day.
However Trae Younger, sitting close to the baseline of the 2 apply courts, can at all times hear the noise and chatter that surrounds him.
Coming into his eighth season, Younger is beloved in Atlanta. However his critics, from Patrick Beverley to nameless on-line trolls, continually chirp.
Younger can virtually recite the gripes in opposition to him: “I am unable to modify my recreation. I am unable to play with this man or this man.
“I imply, it’s extremely comical to me,” Younger says. “It is very humorous. There’s so many issues, man.”
After coming inside two wins of reaching the NBA Finals in 2020-21, Younger and the Hawks have been in 4 straight play-in tournaments, shedding within the first spherical twice earlier than failing to make it to the postseason the previous two years.
Younger stated he goes into each season pondering it’s his most vital one, however he admits this one feels “particular” and is “undoubtedly the most important season for me.” He’s in his prime, and the reigning assists champ has his finest roster but. Younger, who has a $49 million participant choice for subsequent season, desires to indicate Atlanta he’s a famous person expertise definitely worth the four-year, $229 million max extension he’s eligible for.
However on this restrictive second-apron period, Atlanta will wait on an extension. By ready, the Hawks can see how issues go together with this retooled roster and nonetheless preserve flexibility in case issues do not go nicely, giving them the choice to take a brand new route and construct round a promising younger core of creating expertise. The Hawks and Kristaps Porzingis are additionally going to attend on a possible extension and see how this season goes.
For Younger, the All-Star can discover his choices subsequent summer time if he doesn’t get an extension later this season. Meaning he’ll must get used to not having management of his fast future.
“I feel it may be nice. I am not nervous about it,” Younger advised ESPN when requested about getting into the season with out an extension. “As a lot as I want it was, it is not all in my palms and I am unable to management all the things. I simply can solely management the current. And I do know if we win, everyone eats … I perceive what successful can do.
“If sure issues do not go my method so far as accidents, well being and stuff that I am unable to management, which may be the person above telling me there’s one other plan for me. I am centered on ensuring all my guys, Quin [Snyder] included, get taken care of and succeed.”
This summer time, new common supervisor Onsi Saleh directed some of the spectacular offseasons within the NBA, including Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard whereas additionally buying the New Orleans Pelicans’ unprotected 2026 first-rounder, a possible excessive lottery choose in a deep class.
Younger’s job is to mix these vets with rising Hawks like Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Zaccharie Risacher and Onyeka Okongwu and lead Atlanta to rivalry. Accidents have left the East open for the taking with stars just like the Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton sidelined.
That and an enhanced roster has given Younger a chief likelihood to return to the playoff stage, show he is nonetheless the franchise participant value constructing round and silence the doubters. He believes the expertise round him will permit him to indicate he’s greater than what individuals suppose.
“There’s numerous misconceptions of me,” Younger stated. “They’re going to get modified over time, and I actually imagine that.
“And I really feel like numerous it would get modified this 12 months.”
BEFORE THE START of the Hawks’ second day of coaching camp, the workforce’s weight room is livelier than regular. Younger, now one of many older vets on the workforce at 27, is leaping round, high-fiving teammates and getting them pumped up earlier than hitting the weights.
“I’ll say there undoubtedly is a brand new sense of vitality with Trae this 12 months,” Okongwu, who’s getting into his sixth season, advised ESPN. “He is at all times had that, nevertheless it’s totally different this 12 months. He is actually taking that leap ahead when it comes to management. He is actually making an attempt to provoke the present. We’ve got a very younger workforce, so he is making an attempt to be the man to steer the youngins and to be a voice for the blokes within the locker room.
“Simply when it comes to communication, I’ve heard him extra this 12 months than I’ve in earlier years, and I commend him for that.”
Throughout coaching camp, Johnson took be aware of how a lot Younger “has simply been smiling.” Nothing can dampen Younger’s pleasure about his teammates this season — not even Beverley.
Two weeks earlier, Patrick Beverley was questioning Younger’s means to steer and win. In a quick on-line beef, the previous Clipper stated he talked to a few of Younger’s former teammates who questioned his management and did not like enjoying with the purpose guard.
Younger responded on his podcast by telling Beverley to “state your supply” and that he was by no means intimidated when going through “Patty Bev” — a standout defender throughout his 12 seasons.
Present Hawks gamers describe Younger as a frontrunner who cares, a man who organized their group textual content chain to advertise camaraderie on one of many league’s youngest rosters. In a 111-107 win over the Orlando Magic on Friday, a smiling Younger celebrated with rookie Asa Newell throughout a timeout after discovering him for a 3 and an alley-oop dunk in a good fourth quarter. It was as if the purpose guard was the one who simply scored his first two skilled baskets.
“Final 12 months, he made large [strides] with the management part,” Saleh advised reporters earlier than camp began. “I assumed he was nice enjoying off the ball, simply his vitality in direction of the sport. His teammates, I assumed he was nice final 12 months [with them].
“We’re tremendous assured in him simply serving to lead our guys and enjoying with a man like Onyeka, Kristaps, Luke and Nickeil, having extra weapons round him, too. I feel it is tremendous thrilling, however simply the pure improvement of a star participant. He is getting higher yearly, and we count on that to occur this season as nicely.”
Younger and the Hawks will want persistence, although. As seen on opening evening when the Hawks have been shocked 138-118 by the Toronto Raptors, there can be an adjustment interval with all their new items and moments of adversity with the Hawks enjoying 9 of their first 14 video games on the highway.
That stretch consists of two key video games in opposition to Orlando, one other workforce that had a formidable offseason and is seeking to rise within the East. Already, the Hawks have needed to play two consecutive video games with out Porzingis (flu-like signs) and Risacher (proper ankle sprain). Johnson (proper ankle sprain) joined them on the sideline throughout Saturday’s loss to the defending champion Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder.
However their offseason strikes gave them much-needed depth that the Hawks are hoping would be the distinction between contending within the East and being a middling play-in workforce but once more.
These strikes got here with an help from the franchise level guard. When Younger knew the Hawks have been going after Alexander-Walker and Kennard in free company, he known as each to recruit them and promote them on the town of Atlanta.
Alexander-Walker was advised stars from groups courting him throughout free company would attain out. However it was solely Younger who known as him a number of occasions.
Alexander-Walker, who’s coming off two straight Western Convention Finals appearances in Minnesota with Anthony Edwards, sees some similarities between Younger and Edwards in how their confidence and competitiveness can rub some the mistaken method.
“Ant has a really robust persona,” Alexander-Walker advised ESPN. “Trae has a robust persona. It simply comes out totally different. And so when guys are very self-confident and conscious of who they’re, to the untrained eye that could possibly be vanity. It could possibly be cockiness.
“Trae has confidence. Ant, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Luka [Doncic] has confidence. … However [Young] nonetheless wears a heavy burden of strain. And he is had success by way of his strain.”
The Hawks designed their offseason to get Porzingis, Alexander-Walker and Kennard to take some strain off Younger, who has needed to reshape the best way he performs. Snyder has been emphasizing pushing tempo and having Younger cross the ball up the ground to create early offense for wings like Johnson, Risacher and Daniels, who not too long ago signed a four-year, $100-million extension.
He additionally may have Younger play extra off ball, passing to finally get the ball again for a neater shot — just like Stephen Curry with the Golden State Warriors — as a substitute of getting to expend a ton of vitality creating his personal shot in opposition to defenders.
For the 7-2 Porzingis, he says his “fundamental mission” is to make life simpler for his new level guard — and it is not his first time working with a dynamic playmaking level guard. He performed alongside Luka Doncic in Dallas for 2 and a half seasons, however the two weren’t the match Dallas had hoped for.
Now Porzingis will attempt to use that have to make issues work higher with Younger.
“The playmaking, they each have it on the highest of ranges,” Porzingis advised ESPN of Doncic and Younger. “They do some comparable stuff, truthfully. Their builds are totally different. However they’re each masterminds at studying the basket, anticipating what is going on to occur, studying the sport, anticipating what is going on to occur.
“That have [with Doncic in Dallas] is unquestionably going to assist me. Taking part in with Luka and having these open conversations and open dialogue with Trae about what he likes, the place he desires to get the ball, and the way I could make his life simpler.”
Porzingis and Doncic ran 405 pick-and-pop performs along with Doncic because the ballhandler in 2019-20 and 2020-21, second-most amongst all mixtures and trailing simply Younger and John Collins, in response to ESPN Analysis. However Younger has not had a middle like the person dubbed “The Unicorn.”
Already a grasp of the floater with 752 in his profession — probably the most within the NBA since monitoring started in 2013-14 per GeniusIQ — Younger is wanting ahead to unveiling new wrinkles in his recreation alongside Porzingis.
“I have not had a man like him within the NBA,” Younger stated. “So I feel you can actually see what various things that I can do with a man that may choose and pop and unfold the protection, unfold the 5 man out to 30 toes. I feel you can see numerous various things that I have not been capable of present previously, too.
“Hopefully this 12 months I get much more catch-and-shoot photographs, one thing that lots individuals do not suppose I can do.”
Younger is used to having the ball in his palms, having dribbled 226,906 occasions, probably the most of any participant since he entered the league in 2018. However he’s keen to sacrifice scoring as he focuses on getting his teammates extra concerned. His scoring common dipped from a career-high 29.6 factors per recreation in 2019-20 to 24.2 final season.
Johnson — who opened the season with 22 factors, eight assists and 7 rebounds — is rising as a playmaker Younger can depend on. Younger talked about how he and Johnson have been constructing chemistry collectively earlier than the ahead suffered a season-ending shoulder damage on Jan. 23.
“I would like lots of people to jot down us off,” Johnson, now totally recovered from surgical procedure, advised ESPN. “What we’re constructing behind the scenes, it is one thing particular.”
Younger is bullish about what the Hawks can do with probably the most proficient roster he is had.
“If we’re wholesome,” Younger stated, “I imply the world higher be prepared for what’s coming.”
WITH PORZINGIS AND Risacher sidelined in Orlando, Younger nonetheless discovered himself having sufficient assist to erase a 14-point deficit and stun the Magic.
“I assumed he managed the sport in addition to I’ve seen him handle a recreation late,” Snyder stated of Younger. “Simply directing individuals the place to go. And our guys have been listening, too.”
4 teammates scored in double figures, nevertheless it was Younger who closed the door. He scored 11 of his 25 factors within the last 5:59, together with sinking a patented 15-foot floater to quiet the Orlando crowd with 46.3 seconds left.
Trae Younger clutch floater oh sure that is the good things ❄️ pic.twitter.com/9ART10rYCt
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) October 25, 2025
“He introduced us residence,” Johnson stated.
In the case of silencing the naysayers, maybe it isn’t stunning that the Hawks star — carrying an OU hoodie on the Hawks apply facility — appears to be like to a different well-known former Oklahoma Sooner signal-caller for instance.
“You see it enjoying proper now with one other OU man with Baker Mayfield and what successful does for any person,” Younger stated of the quarterback who has modified the general public’s notion of himself by guiding the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to consecutive playoff appearances since 2024 and a 6-2 report this season. “I get chills speaking about it. I do know what I can do or what the picture of me appears to be like like as soon as I simply win.
“Win once more.”
It has been greater than 4 years since Younger grew to become a New York villain and took a bow at Madison Sq. Backyard, waving goodbye to Knicks followers after eliminating New York in 5 video games within the first spherical in 2021. That was the beginning of a stunning run to the Jap Convention Finals in simply his third season.
Maybe Younger thought there can be many extra deep playoff runs with clutch shotmaking after that. He is not taking this opportunity — with one of the best forged he is had round him — without any consideration.
“I am keen to surrender the ball,” Younger stated. “It is simply it’s important to have the blokes which are on the market that need the ball first to make a play, and two, that may draw sure consideration after they do get the ball.
“I really feel like we obtained that now.”
The week earlier than camp began, Snyder and Younger met to debate their method for this season. Each males talked about the phrase “effectivity” throughout their discuss. Younger averaged 11.6 assists however shot a career-low 41.1% from the sphere and led the league with 4.7 turnovers final season.
“The key phrase for Trae is effectivity,” Snyder stated. “I feel what you will see is Trae having to really feel the sport in a method. … There’s video games that is going to imply scoring extra. There’s video games the place he can be passing extra. The constants can be him forcing tempo, not simply pushing the ball off the dribble however passing forward. He was among the finest at passing forward, if not one of the best.
“The opposite factor he has to do each evening is be environment friendly defensively … One of many issues we did speak about was me difficult him … He desires to get higher yearly.”
Whereas groups like Cleveland and New York have had extra time collectively and are anticipated to be the highest two groups within the East, the Hawks hope that they will finally soar on the proper time to make some noise within the postseason.
If that occurs, Younger may lastly hush the haters like his fellow previously maligned Sooner quarterback.
“Folks could get the mistaken notion of us due to what you see on social media or what any person could say about you,” Younger stated. “I perceive Baker, after they say, he is a hothead [or] he is loopy. However then once you’re successful, now he is a dawg. He is aggressive. The entire perspective adjustments simply since you win. That is my fundamental focus. I simply need to win.
“That’ll change all of the narratives.”
Contributions from ESPN Analysis’s Matt Williams.