Too busy imitating James and not practicing, is Trae Young counting down his Hawks career?

Sports Weekly All-Media Reporter Li Hui

In the last preseason game of the new season, Trae Young’s poor performance became a hot topic. In the whole game, he played 27.7 minutes, made only 4 of 14 shots, scored 12 points, 10 assists and made 4 turnovers. To make matters worse, Shepard, the second-year Rockets rookie who faced Trae Young in this game, performed brilliantly. He scored 29 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals and 3 blocks in the game.

If being beaten by Shepard was just an accident, then Trae Young's consecutive sluggish performance in three preseason games undoubtedly caused people to worry about him. In the three preseason games, Trae Young averaged only 10.7 points and 8.7 assists per game, and his shooting percentage was only a pitiful 28.1%, and his three-point shooting percentage was only 21.1%.

Recently, there have been more and more reports about Trae Young's possible departure from the team. Among them, the scandal between him and the Houston Rockets has been the most heated. According to the media, the Rockets should create a combination of Durant + Shen Jing + Trae Young. This lineup will make them a direct championship contender. As a rookie in 2018, Trae Young has played for the Hawks for 7 years. In 2021, he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, since then, the Hawks have never made a breakthrough and have never broken through the first round of the playoffs. This has also brought Trae Young's leadership limit into question. In the eyes of some people, it is difficult for the Hawks with Trae Young as the boss to regain their glory.

This year's offseason, the Hawks were very active in the transfer market. They acquired outstanding players such as Porzingis and Alexander Walker. Together with the original core team, the team's paper strength has improved significantly. In the chaotic situation in the East, some media believe that the Hawks have the strength to return to the Eastern Conference finals. However, Trae Young may have become the most uncertain factor for today's Hawks team. On the one hand, it is his ability. In the past few years, Trae Young's weaknesses have been continuously exposed. Although he has always been able to contribute good data, his overall influence on the game has continued to decline. On the other hand, Trae Young seems to be no longer focused on competing for the championship or leading the team to a breakthrough. In addition to scandals with other teams, Trae Young is also loyal to making an impact off the court. This week, Trae Young followed James' lead in making a decision. In the end, he did not make any shocking decision, but reached a cooperation with a beverage brand.

As a short guard, it is difficult for a player of Trae Young's style to achieve great success in the NBA. For the Hawks, who have not achieved breakthroughs in recent years, they will naturally have the idea of ​​​​rebuilding. At the age of 27, Trae Young undoubtedly has a high trade value. Therefore, if the Hawks' performance does not improve this season, then it is not ruled out that the Hawks will take the initiative to put Trae Young on the trade shelf. You know, the Hawks are not without outstanding young players. The team selected No. 1 pick Lisa Shae last season, and Jaylen Johnson, the first-round pick in 2021, has grown rapidly in the past two years and is regarded by many as a more suitable team leader than Trae Young. Therefore, if Trae Young continues his poor performance in the preseason, he will have little time left with the Hawks.