You won't find too many people who will argue against the claim that Dominique Wilkins is the greatest Atlanta Hawk of all time, and there's good reason for that. Bob Pettit was great, but he was a St. Louis Hawk. Guys like Al Horford and Kevin Willis never quite had the star power nor the Atlanta longevity that Wilkins possessed. And few players with the Hawks, let alone in the history of the NBA, have been the authors of incredible moments of the same quality and quantity as the Human Highlight Film.
With nine All-Star selections, seven All-NBA nods and an average of 26.4 points and 6.9 rebounds as a member of the Hawks, nobody has really challenged his throne as the greatest Atlanta NBA hooper that we've ever seen. But if there was anyone who might be able to give it a try, it's someone who we all have the pleasure of watching right now — all of us, including Wilkins himself.
Nique joined CBS Sports' "All Things Covered" podcast and discussed Trae Young's rising stardom, which was made especially clear given his phenomenal performances throughout the 2021 postseason.
"First of all, he hasn't even reached his ceiling yet. It's remarkable — this kid is a special, special player," Wilkins said. "I see him every day, so I've seen things a lot of people don't see... it just amazes me how hard this guy has played and what he's done.
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"He got overlooked on the All-Star team, and I know about getting snubbed. He's been snubbed a couple times and I think a lot of times it's unfair, but you know what I love about him? He doesn't let that slow him down or affect him. He keeps proving them wrong, and that's all you can do when people don't give you your due."
This is a sentiment that Hawks fans can all happily agree on, seeing as Young not only isn't affected by criticism and haters but actually seems to thrive off of that kind of stuff. Just ask the Knicks fans and Madison Square Garden, and they'll tell you just how good he is at deflecting distraction and even using it to his own advantage.
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Young has got a long way to go before he catches Wilkins, but he's sure off to a great start. Young is still young — that's confusing, isn't it? — at only 22 years of age, and he continues to find ways to baffle defenders and beat certain schemes en route to massive performances. He may, however, have a challenge ahead of him this year, seeing as the NBA changed the rules to disallow certain types of shooting fouls. But if we know anything about Young, it's that he'll find a way to work through this kind of adversity, push it aside and remain an incredible talent on the hardwood.
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