Trae Young Makes NBA History Against the Miami Heat

Whether a casual or dedicated fan, it's hard to watch an Atlanta Hawks game and ignore the impact that Trae Young brings. He's currently leading the NBA in assists per game with 11.3 while supporting one of the five best scoring offenses in basketball. The Hawks are firmly in the play-in race because of him and they have managed to stay afloat even in the absence of Jalen Johnson largely due to Young's offensive gravity.

Tonight, Young made NBA history against the Miami Heat by being the youngest player to ever reach 12,000 points and 4,500 assists. He is currently 89th on the all-time assists leaderboard and has an excellent chance of moving up into the list's top 15 if he keeps on his current pace. The 12,000 points is a a new milestone for Young and he becomes one of 44 active players to reach this mark.

Youngest player in NBA history to reach 12,000 points and 4,500 assists 🥶🥶🥶

Congrats Trae 👏 pic.twitter.com/vIhChgaF0B
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) March 28, 2025

Currently, Young has 12 points and five assists against the Heat as the Hawks are currently leading. They came out hot in the 1st quarter against Miami by shooting 52.2% from the field and 45.5% from three-point range. Quick starts have been an issue for the Hawks in many of their games this year, so it is nice to see this change in pace from them. I wrote about how critical Young is going to be in tonight's game earlier today:

"The Heat have usually had a good answer for Trae Young and that has been especially true in his last three matchups against them. He hasn't eclipsed 20 points against Miami since December 2023 and is coming off a rough outing versus the Rockets. Young will likely see a good dose of Davion Mitchell on defense, who is a solid defender and is coming off a good game against the Warriors. If he can find some success against the Heat and break the 20-point mark, it's a good sign for Atlanta's chances."

Our very own Jackson Caudell had this to say about the game's final score tonight:

"This is one of the biggest games remaining on the Hawks schedule and one they need to win. They would come closer to cementing themselves as either the No. 7 or No. 8 seed in the play-in tournament with a win tonight. If the role players for the Hawks can step up tonight and have a better shooting night than they did on Monday, I like the Hawks chances to win this game tonight. I don't think there is going to be a game where Zaccharie Risacher and Caris LeVert have another off night and they help the Hawks get a big win."

There are several players to keep an eye on in tonight's game as it progresses, but here are some especially important names to watch:

One matchup that will be interesting to watch is between Onyeka Okongwu and Bam Adebayo. Both centers usually draw even against each other, but Okongwu has been playing very well as of late. He had 14 points and 15 rebounds against the Rockets and continues to make his case as one of the most underrated parts of the Hawks' lineup. Performing well in these matchups only further cements him as Atlanta's unquestioned starter at the 5 going into next season.

In the two games that the Hawks have played against the Heat this season, Andrew Wiggins has fluctuated wildly. He killed Atlanta in the first matchup by going 4/9 from deep and scoring 23 points. However, the Hawks did a much better job on him in the second game and held him to 15 points on 3/9 shooting from the field. His performance will likely have a big impact on this game and slowing him down is going to be critical for the Hawks to win this one."

Whether or not Atlanta gets the win tonight, expect Young to be plenty involved in one of the biggest games on the Hawks' remaining schedule.

Additional Links

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