In just three years in the NBA, Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young has grown under the watchful eyes of veterans like Vince Carter, Kent Bazemore, Jeremy Lin, Jeff Teague and Rajon Rondo. But no one, says Young's father, has had a bigger impact on the Hawks' franchise centerpiece than the most recent veteran acquisition made my Travis Schlenk.
The acquisition in question, which involved sending Rajon Rondo to Los Angeles, was that of 16-year veteran Lou Williams. The explosive bench scorer has not only been a positive presence for Atlanta on the court — some of his playoff contributions were crucial in the series against Philadelphia — but in helping to groom Young into the star that he's become.
Ray Young called Williams the best veteran that his son has ever had and that the impact he's had through on- and off-court conversations has been "career changing."
If Young's playoff performance has been any indication, Williams' impact might be showing up already. As good as Williams has been in certain moments, Young has been a consistent force the whole postseason, whether as a villain at Madison Square Garden, as the bane of the 76ers' existence toward the end of that series, or in his ridiculous 48-point double-double to start the Eastern Conference Finals.
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Another up-and-coming star in the league — though not one who's on the same level as Young — is Terance Mann of the Clippers. The second-year guard has far-outplayed his second-round value, scoring a whopping 39 points against the Jazz to clinch a Western Conference Finals berth this postseason. He, too, had some really nice words for Williams, and he admitted that it's tough not to have him in the organization anymore.
The same type of praise that has come from Williams' mentees has come from his mentors as well. Allen Iverson, who was on the 76ers with then-rookie Williams, told Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on "All The Smoke" that Williams is someone he really wants to see win a championship.
Though it certainly hasn't been an easy road, and the Hawks will need to complete their third of three playoff upsets in order to make it to the NBA Finals, this year is as good an opportunity as any for Iverson's wish about Williams to finally come true.
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