Miami Heat Have Many Coveting Their Crown, Including Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young recently sang the praises of new coach Quin Snyder after a decent end to an inconsistent season.

After frustrations with previous coach Nate McMillan, Young has championship expectations under Snyder.

“Hopefully Quin for me is my Steve Kerr,” Young said to Draymond Green at the Uninterrupted Film Festival. “I hope Quin is the guy that we win three, four championships with. I mean, that’s my plan.”

The Miami Heat have to confront several reactions as such because of their recent success. They played in the Finals twice in the past four seasons, losing each time. In 2022, they were within one basket from a third Finals appearance.

With their window closing, others teams fill they can step in. That's why Young has high ambitions but has to overcome the Heat in order to accomplish them.

The Heat gave Young trouble in their last two playoff meetings, particularly the first round of the 2022 playoffs. This was an eye opener for fans who watched Young dominate in the Hawks’ conference finals run the previous season.

Young shot under 32 percent from the field and just 18 percent from 3-point range. He averaged just 15.4 points with 6.2 turnovers, totaling more turnovers than field goals.

Since, Young’s lackluster performances continued until the play-in tournament. Seeing him perform well against the Heat in a playoff atmosphere may give Hawks fans hope. Still, his inability to consistently perform against Miami could halt the Hawks’ championship ambitions.

Regardless, the expectations for Atlanta should be higher this year with Snyder leading the entire season. Young’s confidence illustrates his excitement for a new chapter.

“When people say you don’t have to go through anything, confrontation with your coaches and players, like sometimes it’s good and it’s what’s needed to get better and push forward,” Young said.

Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jaydenshome14@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.