Trae Young is going to miss an extended period of time due to a hand injury, and the Atlanta Hawks got off to a good start in games without him, holding their opponents to under 100 points in back-to-back games fir the first time all season, but in Thursday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets, the team defense looked the same as it would if Trae Young had been playing.
It's not uncommon for people to blame the Hawks lack of defensive ability solely on Trae Young's issues defending his man, but the problems go well beyond just Trae Young. Quin Snyder mentioned that the team didn't seem focused last night, another criticism that was often thrust upon Trae Young.
The point is that removing Trae Young from the lineup isn't going to solve the issues that run throughout the franchise and the Hawks defensive identity, or lack of one, isn't just to blame on Trae Young.

