Trae Young has continued to play the best basketball of his career. On the season, the Hawks' star point guard is averaging 27.8 points per game and a career-high in assists (11.0) and steals (1.5) per game. Young put up his 11th game of at least 30 points and nine assists since the start of December in a loss on Sunday to the Orlando Magic -- but therein lies a problem: his sensational performances aren't leading to wins.
Despite the stellar play of Young, the Hawks are 5-12 since the start of December and a mere 14-21 this season. Some feel inclined to blame the star point guard for the woes of the franchise and even think of him as "overrated." Head coach Quin Snyder disagreed with that assessment.
"I want to address that player [poll]. That's not a real accurate assessment because you have x-number of players who are polled and numbers where someone got eight votes and someone got 11," said the Hawks head coach in his interview with The Steakhouse. "I hesitate to put a whole lot of stock [in that]. It's a nice, juicy tidbit that someone can run with, if they choose to, but I don't think that's the accurate perception of what people [think]."
According to the Hawks' head coach, Trae has elevated the way he plays more than anything else.
"One of the unique things about that streak [of 30 points and 10 assists] that he had was the way that he was doing it," Snyder said about the way Trae has elevated his play. "He was really letting the game come to him. He didn't force himself on the game. More than the numbers themselves, I think, is the way that he was playing and the way he has played this season."
Despite the lackluster win-loss record, Atlanta has been quite strong on the offensive side of the court. They are sixth in offensive rating (118.7) as a team, and that has everything to do with Young.
"I can tell you, from a coaching standpoint, of the way people perceive Trae in this league," Snyder continued. "I think, on a really fundamental level and I think Trae would agree with this, if your team isn't performing on the level that you want it to -- if you're not in the top three or four teams in the East right now. Those people are rewarded for winning. Trae would be the first one to acknowledge that."
Not only have the offensive numbers been impressive, but the often criticized defender has been much-improved on the other end of the court, too.
"The way that he's playing [and] the way that he's defending -- he leads our team in charges," Snyder finished. "That's significant. That's a player that's willing to put his body on the line to win."
Trae Young has been excellent. Now, it just needs to translate into wins.