Atlanta Hawks Trae Young Named Eastern Conference Player of the Week

Young helped lead the Hawks to a 3-1 record this past week

Feb 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) dribbles against the San Antonio Spurs in the first quarter at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

It has been quite the day for Trae Young. Earlier this morning, he was named an All-Star in place of Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (injury) and just minutes ago, he was named the Eastern Confernece Player of the Week.

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić and Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young have been named the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for Week 16 of the 2024-25 season (Feb. 3-9). pic.twitter.com/qlo5thRjrE

— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) February 10, 2025

In four games played this past week, Young averaged 31.3 points, 10.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds in 36.9 minutes of play, leading the Hawks to a 3-1 record, which included two wins over teams with records of .500 or better. He was one of only two players in the NBA to average at least 30.0 points and 10.0 assists and the only player to do so while appearing in at least four games.

The seventh-year guard netted 16 total points in three clutch games this past week, tied for the second-most in the NBA. Young averaged .556% from the field during clutch time, the highest clutch FG% in the league this past week (min. 9 FGA) and was also a +6 in 11.8 clutch minutes, the highest +/- for any Eastern Conference player and tied for the third-highest for any player in the league (min. 10 clutch minutes).

He ranked top 5 in the East this past week in points per game (5th, 31.3), assists per game (2nd, 10.5), made field goals per game (t4th, 10.3) and made free throws per game (3rd, 7.3), the only player to rank top 5 in all four categories amongst Eastern Conference players.

This season, the Oklahoma product is leading the league in point/assist double-doubles (31) and 30-point, 10-assist outings (10), while leading the East in 20-point, 10-assist outings (22, second-most in NBA). Young currently owns 87 career outings with 30 or more points and 10 or more assists, the fourth-most such games in NBA history.

Young has been playing lights out since getting snubbed for the original reserve spot. In his last five games, Trae Young had 34 points and 17 assists vs the Pacers, 34 points and nine assists vs the Pistons, 32 points and 12 assists vs the Spurs, 24 points and seven assists vs the Bucks, and last night, Young tallied 35 points and 14 points in a win vs the Wizards. Young has led the Hawks to a 2-0 record since the trade deadline and the Hawks are still firmly in contention for a top-six spot in the Eastern Conference.

Young is averaging a league-leading 11.4 assists per game, in addition to 23.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals in 36.0 minutes of play. He is the only player in the NBA averaging more than 11.0 assists per game, 1.1 assists more than the next closest player in the league (Nikola Jokic: 10.3) and 1.9 more than the next closest Eastern Conference player (Cade Cunningham: 9.5).

The 26-year-old guard, who has dished out a league-best 560 assists this season (the only player in the league with at least 500 helpers), has recorded 500-or-more assists for the seventh straight season. He joins Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall-of-Famers Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas and Tim Hardaway, in addition to two-time NBA Champion and Macon, Georgia, native, Norm Nixon as just the fifth player in NBA history to tally 500+ assists in each of his first seven NBA seasons, per Elias Sports.

Young owns three games this season with at least 20 points and 20 assists: Nov. 27 at Cleveland (20 points, 22 assists), Dec. 6 vs. Los Angeles Lakers (31 points, 20 assists), Jan. 7 at Utah (24 points, 20 assists). His three outings with 20+ points and 20+ assists are tied for the second-most such games in a single season in NBA history and the most since John Stockton in 1989-90.

In a win over the Chicago Bulls on Dec. 26, which included a franchise record 50-point fourth quarter, the 6-1 guard netted his 11,000th career point. At 26 years, 98 days, Young became the second-youngest player in NBA history to reach 11,000 points and 4,000 assists (LeBron James: 25 years, 350 days) and in his 436th career game, became the second-fastest to do so in terms of games played (Oscar Robertson: 379 games).

The Oklahoma product is leading the league in point/assist double-doubles (31) and 30-point, 10-assist outings (10), while leading the East in 20-point, 10-assist outings (22, second-most in NBA). Young currently owns 87 career outings with 30-or-more points and 10-or-more assists, the fourth-most such games in NBA history.

Behind Young’s leadership, the Hawks are averaging 29.2 assists per game, the most assists in the East and third-most in the NBA, and on pace to be the most assists per game in a single season in franchise history (currently 27.1 assists per game, St. Louis Hawks, 1960-61). Through 53 outings this season, Atlanta has dished out 30 or more assists in a conference-leading 26 games, the most such games in a single season in franchise history.

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 16, 2025, inside the Chase Center in San Francisco, California, and will air on TN.

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