The Disrespect Aimed at Trae Young Must End
The disrespect continues for Trae Young. The league announced the reserves for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game on Thursday night, and Young was nowhere on the roster. It’s a shame to see a terrific point guard become overlooked and undervalued over the past few years. Unfortunately, as Young continues to put up MVP-caliber numbers, his impact is once again underappreciated.
The players selected as reserves in the Eastern Conference were Jaylen Brown, DeMar DeRozan, Tyrese Haliburton, Julius Randle, Jrue Holiday, Joel Embiid, and Bam Adebayo. While all of these players deserve an All-Star spot, it’s head-scratching to believe they earned the honor over Young.
NBA players account for 25 percent of the All-Star votes, and earlier this week, we learned Young ranked as the 12th-best guard in the Eastern Conference. Notable players who were ranked ahead of Young were LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Darius Garland, and others. No disrespect to the other great talents listed above, but the players’ feelings toward Young continue to glare in the rankings.
It’s known that Young is not the most likable player in the NBA. He has been vilified since the Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. To many, Young is a cocky and arrogant player who always finds himself under the skin of his opponents. However, while he does display a healthy level of self-confidence on the floor, he backs it up with his terrific play on offense.
If Kyrie Irving wasn’t selected as the starting point guard from the Eastern Conference, the runner-up should have been Young. He continues to be a dominant factor for Atlanta and has been the reason behind their recent success. Young is averaging 27 points per game this season, along with ten assists. Many would believe averaging a double-double would land him a spot on the All-Star team. However, Eastern Conference head coaches failed to recognize the impact Young is having this season.
Young is the caliber player any fan would want to see in the All-Star game. Why? Because he is bound to put on a show. It wouldn’t matter if he had limited minutes on the floor. In just a few minutes of action, Young could easily steal the show with his deep range, gravity-defying passes, and ability to finish in traffic.
We mean no disrespect to any of the All-Stars. However, Young's case for an All-Star spot over DeRozan, Haliburton, and Holiday is indisputable. Young's impact this season has been far more significant than those three, and more importantly, he is a bigger superstar.
Young will use this All-Star snub as extra motivation heading into the second half of the season. Atlanta currently sits in the play-in tournament and is a few games back of the sixth seed. Young is the driving force for the Hawks, and once he dominates the floor, the energy translates to the rest of the team. We hope teams are ready for what will happen as Young looks to put the NBA on notice.
