Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young’s 5 best games of the 2019-20 NBA season

Trae Young is by far the Atlanta Hawks best player and took a massive leap forward during his sophomore season, earning an All-Star selection.

He finished the shortened season averaging 29.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game, all improvements from his rookie year. Young’s jump in usage rate from 28.4 percent to 34.9 percent accompanied increases in field-goal percentage, 2-point percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw percentage. Put another way, Trae Young became a viable offensive engine for the Atlanta Hawks.

Unfortunately, the Hawks as a whole did not experience the same kind of success, finishing the season 20-47. John Collins was suspended for 25 games for testing positive for growth hormones, Kevin Huerter was in and out of the lineup due to injury, Cam Reddish started the season in bricktastic fashion, and De’Andre Hunter was inconsistent and uninspiring until after the All-Star break.

In truth, the ship was adrift before the voyage even began. The Hawks started the season with no traditional backup point guard and Collins’ absence meant they had no starting-caliber center on the roster either. There should be increased optimism (within reason) going into next season—Collins should be available and flanked by Clint Capela.

Dewayne Dedmon should provide solid backup minutes at center as well as a much needed veteran presence in the locker room. Huerter, Hunter and Reddish should continue to improve, not to mention the Hawks free agency plans as they’ll be one of few teams flush with cap space. But before we look ahead to next year, let’s look back at Trae Young’s five best games of the 2019-20 season.