The Atlanta Hawks are destined for an elimination game on Friday night after an awful showing against Orlando. The Magic ran the Hawks off the court in the final quarter, leaving no question who the superior team was. Just as Orlando was putting an exclamation mark on the team's win, things would boil over for Trae Young. Things appeared to start when the officials didn't call a foul and Young was tied up with a Magic defender behind the basket. The discussion and frustration would continue down the court.
This would culminate with Young throwing a hard pass to an official. Understandably, this is an instant technical foul, one that Young would follow up by playing keep away from the official with the ball. Unsurprisingly, this resulted in Trae getting his second tech and being thrown out of a game that had already been decided.
Trae Young's Frustration is an Understandable Byproduct of Another Lost Hawks season
Atlanta fans were given a front-row seat to the heights Young can take this team in the 2021 playoff run. The Hawks promptly responded by tearing apart a team that had been so close to taking down the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks. In the season since, the team made the doomed move of bringing in another defensively limited point guard in an attempt to find another scoring option. This led to another two wasted seasons and frustrating ends, helping cover what has been quietly a great career for the Atlanta point guard.
While Trae isn't always as efficient as Hawks fans might like, there is no denying that he is never afraid of the moment. The stage has never been too big for a player who is yet to be given proper support. Young will remain an iconic piece of playoff lore forever for his antics in the Garden against the Knicks. The fact that we continue to be robbed of more of these moments points to an organizational failure.
Yes, the Hawks have exciting young pieces and appear to have a bright future. However, Tuesday's loss in Orlando pointed to one glaring fact: this isn't a playoff roster. Trae's meltdown didn't appear to be due to a lack of calls or Orlando's relentless defense. It was an unrelenting desire to win, one that has been consistently doused since Atlanta's impressive 2021 run. The point guard wants nothing more than to help elevate his team back to big playoff moments, and Atlanta's front office continues to let the star down.
With that said, as understandable as Young's frustration was, it is misplaced. On that stage in the play-in bracket, that isn't the way to exit the game. Justified or not, Trae made a poor decision, no matter how understandable his frustration might be.
Now, as the Hawks sit just one game away from possible elimination, it is fair to wonder if this is the final time we see Trae in an Atlanta uniform. As the franchise continues to let the star down, it wouldn't be the worst career decision for Young to decide to move on.