ESPN Assesses The Hall of Fame Chances For Pair of Legendary Hawks

Could Trae Young and Al Horford make the Hall of Fame?

Mar 25, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) shoots the ball during the fourth quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

Trae Young and Al Horford were the best players on a different generation of Hawks teams. Horford was the defensive anchor at center for the greatest Hawks team of all time in 2014-2015, a team that won 60 games and was the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. It was the first time that the Hawks ever got to the conference finals and while they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers, that team is still fondly remembered by Hawks fans.

Young has not had the consistent regular season success that Horford did (yet), but Young is the Hawks all-time assists leader and had Atlanta two wins away from the NBA finals in 2022. He is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, but he is an incredible offensive talent and at worst, the second greatest Hawk of all-time behind Dominique Wilkins.

Hall of Fame chances

Dec 22, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Atlanta Hawks center Al Horford (15) dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during the game at the American Airlines Center. The Hawks defeated the Mavericks 105-102. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

While Horford and Young are two of the greatest Hawks of all time, how are their Hall of Fame chances? ESPN's Zach Kram broke down players into different categories and put Horford into "veterans on the bubble" and Young into "circle back in a few years":

"Like Love, Horford is a five-time All-Star and NBA champion. Unlike Love, Horford's peak was lower, but he's still chugging along as a championship-level contributor into his late 30s. The Basketball Hall of Fame's consideration of all levels of basketball could benefit Horford a great deal, thanks to his back-to-back collegiate titles at Florida. In the one-and-done era, few players will receive a notable NCAA boost to their Hall of Fame cases -- Horford might be the exception."

Horford has the best case... for now

Jan 3, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) moves to the basket ahead of Los Angeles Lakers guard Dalton Knecht (4) during the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Young is one of the best offensive engines in the NBA and is going to be putting up Hall-Of-Fame worthy stats as long as he is healthy. The best days in terms of stats are behind Horford, but he is still a winning basketball player.

Ever since he was drafted to Atlanta with the 3rd pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, Horford made an impact on the court. He finished second in the rookie of the year voting, losing only to future superstar Kevin Durant. During Horford's rookie year in Atlanta, he averaged 10.1 PPG and 9.7 RPG and was a part of a Hawks team that made the playoffs and pushed the No. 1 seed Boston Celtics to seven games in the first round.

Horford was arguably the best player in one of the most consistent eras in Hawks history. During all nine seasons that Horford played with the Hawks, Atlanta made the playoffs in every season and in the 2014-2015 season, Horford helped get the Hawks to 60 wins and their first ever Eastern Conference Finals Appearance. He was a four-time All-Star with the Hawks, and he made the All-NBA Third team in the 2010-2011 season.

His signature highlight during his time in Atlanta might be his game-winning shot to beat the Washington Wizards in game five of the 2015 Eastern Conference Semifinals.

One of the biggest mistakes that the Hawks made was letting Horford walk in the summer of 2016 and opting to sign Dwight Howard instead. The Hawks did make the playoffs that season, but Horford has still been a reliable NBA player since leaving Atlanta. The Hawks have not enjoyed the same consistency that they had while Horford was on the team and they are currently looking to get that back.

If I had to guess, both players end up in the Hall of Fame one day.