The Atlanta Hawks are set to being play of their final 24 games on Thursday. The Hawks tip off on the road against the Chicago Bulls at 8 p.m. The question for the Hawks is whether or not they will be able to get to the 6 seed so they won't have to worry about the play-in tournament.
The Hawks have not played up to their expectations so far. To say the Hawks have looked like the stock market during the pandemic is an understatement. Head coach Nate McMillan has to figure out the formula in order potentially get a top 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. If the Hawks end the season with a 6 seed, it will be all because Trae Young put this team on his back down the stretch.
Chris Kirschner, of The Athletic, joined The Jon Chuckery Show to discuss whether or not Young has the capabilities to do so.
“The Hawks gave him a maximum extension this past offseason, they need him to play like a star,” Kirschner said. “We’ve seen it before, so it’s not like it’s an impossible ask.”
For a team that was right on the cusp of getting to the NBA Finals last season, it’s hard to fathom them not being in the playoffs only a year later. But this is where they are as a team. And if they want to prove that last year wasn’t a fluke, Young will have to lead that charge.
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