Only 26 Years Old! Scoring 24 Points and 20 Assists! Creating an NBA Legendary Record, Officially Surpassing Irving!
Trae Young, a rookie of the same year as Luka Dončić, was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the fifth overall pick in the first round of the 2018 draft, starting his NBA career. In his first season, he averaged 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 8.1 assists, successfully being selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team! In his second season, his personal statistics soared to an average of 29.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 9.3 assists, officially making him an All-Star. In the following two seasons, he continued to play high-quality games, entering the All-Star team for three consecutive years and leading the team into the playoffs for three consecutive years. However, due to the shortcomings of the Hawks' lineup, they were unable to go further in the playoffs!
During this process, Trae Young set multiple NBA records for the youngest player in history. According to statistics, so far, Trae Young's career total score has exceeded 11,000 points, making him the second-youngest player in NBA history! Trae Young only needed 436 games to achieve 11,000 points + 4,000 assists, also making him the second-youngest player in NBA history. Currently in his career, Trae Young has scored at least 30 points and 10 assists in 84 games, ranking fourth in NBA history alongside Westbrook! It is worth noting that he is only 26 years old, and this season is only his seventh!
Today! Trae Young played a historic game against the Jazz. The Hawks did not perform well throughout the game. Facing the second-to-last team in the West, the Jazz, they did not gain any advantage. The game went down to the wire before a winner was decided! The Hawks currently have a record of 19 wins and 18 losses, ranking seventh in the East, while the Jazz have a record of 9 wins and 26 losses, still leaving a gap! Judging from the strength of both sides, the Hawks should not have struggled so much. As the team's star player, Trae Young's performance in the first half was not good, especially on the offensive end, which can only be described as terrible! In the first quarter, Trae Young shot 0-for-2 without scoring, grabbed only 1 rebound, and dished out 6 assists. In the second quarter, his offensive touch remained poor, shooting 2-for-6 for 5 points, 1 rebound, and 3 assists! Relying on the outstanding performances of Klayich, Lissaxie, Capela, and Daniels in the first half, the Hawks managed to take a slight lead at halftime! Their wait was worth it, as Trae Young exploded offensively in the second half, scoring 9 points and 6 assists in the third quarter, and then adding 10 points and 5 assists in the fourth quarter, including a game-winning three-pointer from beyond the arc to seal the victory!
In the entire game, Trae Young scored 24 points, 2 rebounds, 20 assists, and 1 steal, setting multiple legendary NBA records! This season, Trae Young has played all 35 games for the Hawks, averaging 22.6 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 12.2 assists, with shooting percentages of 37.5/30/90%!
The game against the Jazz was his third time this season scoring over 20 points and assisting over 20, making him the first player in NBA history to achieve this feat in the first 35 games! The previous two times were on November 28th when the Hawks visited the league-leading Cavaliers. In that game, Trae Young played 37 minutes, shooting 6-for-18 for 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 22 assists, ending the Cavaliers' 15-game winning streak at the start of the season. The Hawks' form also began to improve from this game, defeating the Cavaliers again the next day. It's worth noting that the Cavaliers have played 35 games this season and only lost 4, two of which were at the hands of the Hawks! Trae Young's second 20+ assist double-double came on December 7th in a home game against the Lakers. In that game, Trae Young played 42 minutes, shooting 9-for-25 for 31 points, 4 rebounds, and 20 assists, and hit a long-range three-pointer with 8 seconds left to almost seal the victory against the Lakers!
In today's game, Trae Young also created history, with his game-winning shot being 14.95 meters away from the basket, making it the seventh-longest buzzer-beater in NBA history according to NBA statistics. The six longest buzzer-beaters are: Graham (18.6 meters), Strus (17.99 meters), Rauf (16.77 meters), Julius Erving (16.17 meters), Tyreke Evans (15.25 meters), and Smawili (15.25 meters). With this game, Trae Young made history as the seventh person in NBA history. I wonder how many of these magical buzzer-beaters have you witnessed?
Surprised? At 26 years old, Trae Young's career total assists have surpassed those of the 32-year-old Irving!
Today's game not only created NBA history for Trae Young, but he also surpassed Irving in total assists! Before the start of today's game, Trae Young had a career total of 4,275 assists, 6 assists short of Irving's 4,281. Due to Irving's recent injury troubles, he did not play in today's game against the Lakers, so his assist total temporarily stopped growing! With this game, Trae Young's career total assists reached 4,295, officially surpassing Irving and moving up to 104th on the NBA's all-time assist list! Given Trae Young's playing style, it seems unlikely that Irving will be able to overtake him again! It is worth noting that this season is only Trae Young's seventh, and he is just 26 years old and entering his prime, while Irving is already in his 15th season and 32 years old! Trae Young completed the feat of surpassing Irving in less than six and a half seasons, and he is also a seriously underrated player! With a flamboyant playing style, a super big heart, and a historical-level passing vision, he often does many unexpected things on the court!
The Hawks' lineup this season still makes it unrealistic for them to achieve great results. For them, securing a playoff spot would be considered a success. They have already achieved 19 wins and 18 losses after 37 games, which is quite commendable with their ordinary roster. They have defeated strong playoff teams like the Cavaliers, Knicks, Celtics, Bucks, Timberwolves, Bulls, and Heat twice each this season. As an offensive team, once they find their offensive rhythm, they can defeat any team. However, their flaws are equally obvious; as a team without defensive support, once their offense fails, they can lose to anyone. This season, they have been defeated twice by the Wizards, who are at the bottom of the East. This is a team capable of creating miracles and bringing us surprises, just like their star player Trae Young, who is a creative player. As long as the Hawks can provide him with a reasonable lineup, this team has all possibilities! Finally, do you think Trae Young is underrated? Can the Hawks make it to the playoffs this season?