Is Trae Young 'playing the best basketball of his career?'

Bob Rathbun, the voice of the Atlanta Hawks on Bally Sports, joined Sam & Greg after the team's win to discuss the star point guard's continued progression.
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Despite the ups and downs of the Atlanta Hawks this season, Trae Young is playing some of the best basketball of his career. The sixth-year point guard is fresh off breaking a tie with LeBron James and Allen Iverson for the eighth-most 40-point, 10-assist games in NBA history in the Hawks' 130-126 New Year's Eve win over the Washington Wizards.

Bob Rathbun, the voice of the Atlanta Hawks on Bally Sports, joined Sam & Greg after the team's win to discuss the star point guard's continued progression.

"I think he's playing some of the best basketball of his career, and I think that's a direct result of having Quin Snyder as his head coach," Rathbun told Sam & Greg on Monday morning. "He's now trying his best defensively -- he's not going to get any bigger and he'll be susceptible to the pick & roll because teams can isolate him when they need a basket -- but that said, [Trae] is doing great."

The numbers for Trae Young are nothing new. He has led the NBA in assists in each of the last two seasons. Additionally, he became the second player in the Association's history to lead in both points and assists in the 2021-22 season.

But his growth, both on and off of the court, has been evident.

"He came to us as a young man, one year out of Oklahoma, [who] played one way," Rathbun continued. "He has adapted, I think, to the NBA game. He is married and a father of two. The maturity that comes with that, you're seeing on the court."

Once again, Young is right up there at the top of the NBA in assists (11.3, the highest of his career), but his efficiency is also up. His 38.5 three-point percentage is the highest of his career. Then, there's the clear effort on the defensive side of the floor.

"I think Quin [Snyder] has done an outstanding job with him since taking over this ball club to get him to the point where he's taking charges and he's stealing the basketball," he finished. "[Trae]'s doing the things that he has to do when he's out there for 40 minutes per night."

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