Western Conference Coach Gets Honest About Trae Young's Playoff Success in Atlanta

Has Trae Young not gotten enough credit for the success that he has had in Atlanta?

Jan 20, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts after being assessed a technical foul during the second half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Trae Young is one of the most polarizing players in the NBA, but even his harshest critics can't deny the offensive engine and elite playmaking skills that he possesses. Because of the lack of team success and criticisms of his size and defense, Young is not mentioned among the league's best stars, but has he gotten to the point of being underrated?

When most analysts talk about Young and his placement among the NBA's best players, it seems that the success of his 2021 playoff run gets overlooked. Young led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals and even got within two wins of getting to the biggest stage. While he has not won any playoff series since then, you hear more about that then Young's success.

Could he lead them far in the playoffs again?

Mar 30, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The Hawks are a popular pick to contend in the Eastern Conference, but there are doubts about whether Young can take them there. In a recent article from ESPN, an anonymous scout wondered if Young was not getting enough credit for the success that he has had in the past:

"They have a lot of what-ifs," one West assistant coach said of the Hawks, "but Trae [Young] is really good and compared to a lot of his peers, he has had real playoff success that he doesn't get enough credit for."

While it is fair to criticize the results (or lack thereof) of playoff success, there should be an equal amount of blame on the Hawks previous front office for not putting the right pieces around him. Now, it appears that problem has been fixed.

After this season, Young has a player option that he can exercise and become an unrestricted free agent, and so far, the Hawks have been reluctant to give him that. Don't mistake that for non-belief in Young, though. Atlanta has constructed what might be the perfect roster around him in the hope of him leading the franchise to heights it has never seen. With the additions of Kristaps Porzingis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Luke Kennard, and Asa Newell to a core of Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, and Zaccharie Risacher, Young has a chance to put together his best season yet.

Young has all the tools around him to succeed this season and it feels like the Hawks have finally put the right team around him after years of failing to do so. Daniels was the perfect backcourt mate for Young on both ends of the floor, Risacher was a major shooting threat by the end of the season, Johnson is one of the league's best talents, and Porzingis (when healthy) is a the perfect kind of center for Young from a shooting perspective and defensively.

If the Hawks stay healthy, they have the talent to make a deep run into the playoffs this season, but Young has to lead them there.