The Star A City Desired

(@TheTraeYoung)

Trae Young was traded to Atlanta in the 2018 NBA Draft for Luka Doncic in a move that will forever connect both players. At first people were skeptical about the move as most people felt Luka was the better player, so why did Atlanta make that move? The minute Young was drafted, it was clear that he embraced and fit in with the city. The rap group Migos welcomed Young to Atlanta as soon as the trade went down. Now, Young has gotten the Atlanta Hawks to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the first time since 2016. During his first playoff series, Young averaged 29.2 ppg, 9.8 apg, 44.1% FG, 34.1% 3pt and was plus 47 when he was on the court in the series with the Knicks. That's not bad for his first playoff series while performing his best at Madison Square Garden. On top of that, since 2000, he has the most Hawk 30 point games in playoff games, with three all in one series.

The city of Atlanta and Basketball have had a very indifferent relationship. Atlanta Hawks basketball hasn't been popular within the city ever since the 90s. The Hawks haven't had real buzz since Dominique Wilkins was playing there. The 2000s for the Hawks was largely forgettable, outside of the one series with the newly built big 3 in Boston in the playoffs, where they pushed them to 7 games. The 2010s weren't actually bad as they made the playoffs every year up to 2017. The only issue is, for the large part, the team was never a championship contender. Even the 2016 team that won 60 games weren’t viewed as a legit title team in some people’s eyes. On top of that, over the years, the one thing the city has been asking for is a star they can embrace and get behind. The fans liked Joe Johnson, Josh Smith, Jeff Teague, and Al Horford, but they were never that big name player that put Atlanta on the map. The city still wasn't able to get that one player who reps ATL to truly embrace until Young got there. Young loves this city, and the fans love him back. It feels like they have their own authentic star.

(Bizjournal.com, Owners Grant Hill and Tony Ressler)

I want to give some appreciation to the owners of the Hawks: Tony Ressler, Jami Gertz and Grant Hill and the entire Atlanta Hawks organization. They have completely rebranded and revamped the franchise, which was much needed. They renovated former Phillips Arena and now State Farm Arena to be one of the most entertaining arenas in the league. They partnered with Emory to create a new health and medicine center with state of the art innovation care and resources, where they can treat and provide a place for the team to practice and train. They have done many things to make this team be more enticing and more appealing to the fans of Atlanta and relevant within Atlanta Sports. The Hawks for the longest time have been the least popular major sports team in town, and now that may be starting to change. Ownership has rebranded this team, and now they have the star to be the face of this franchise and lead them into hopefully the next decade.

(@AdidasHoops on twitter)

This past series with the Knicks was a big step in that journey for Young in terms of his own legacy. I already listed the numbers, but another reason is all of the commotion surrounding Young. During the entire series, The Knicks fan base was very vocal about how they felt about Young. He became a villain in New York and Young looked at it as a “sign of respect”. They chanted "F** Trae Young”. Even the mayor of New York got in on it,calling out Young and told him to "stop hunting for fouls". Very early in the series, Knicks fans (unfortunately) even spit on him as well. When was the last time a Hawks player was this polarizing that a whole fanbase "hate" him? Young barked back in game 1 after hitting a game winner, then saying "It’s quiet as F*** in here". After losing game 2, he told the fans '' I'll see y'all in the A!" ultimately beating them in games 3 and 4 handily. At MSG, in the close out game 5, he quieted them in their building while also ending their season there with 36 points and 9 assists. Superstars in the NBA today are usually very polarizing, and Young has been at the forefront this season as people have complained about the way he plays basketball. Players all have different ways they play the game, and I see nothing wrong with the way he plays. Young is the kind of player who at least early in his career isn't shaken by the criticism and negativity, hence this series actually made him more locked in and focused.

Young seems to be the star the city has desired, to not only potentially bring the Hawks their first championship, but to also help the Hawks fanbase grow and make the team popular within the world of basketball. The last time the Hawks had a player the fans looked up to or wanted to be like was Wilkins. That was in the 90s and this is the 2020s, so the Hawks haven't had a player in years that really warranted attention. Young himself has a growing brand as he has his first signature shoes for Adidas dropping in the fall later this year. When was the last time a Hawks player had a major shoe deal? The world is noticing Young, and the Hawks should take full advantage of this as an opportunity to finally get the recognition they have longed for. This also has a major impact for the new generation of fans coming up watching the game, as Young is a part of the new generation of NBA stars and one of the potential new faces of the league.

(@ATLHawks)

The Hawks start their 2nd round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers Sunday at 1pm Eastern. They are playing with house money, and have nothing to lose in this series. People may be picking the 76ers to win, even with Joel Embiid potentially missing games. One thing is for sure, Young can continue his playoff run with another great series and elevate himself, the team, and the city of Atlanta to new heights they haven't experienced in quite some time. This team truly believes they can make a run to the Eastern Conference Finals and maybe even the Finals. He has the entire city behind him and in this team. Young has put this city and franchise on his back, and it's an exciting time to be a Hawks fan right now. This city finally has the star they have desired for so long.