There’s no question that a lot has happened in the world of the Atlanta Hawks through the past few weeks.
After a commanding win against the Boston Celtics, the Hawks fell flat against the OKC Thunder and Miami Heat. Those two losses hurt the Hawks in trying to inch closer to the teams above them, and it hurt Lloyd Pierce’s chances of continuing to be the coach of this team.
One week later, and Pierce is fired. You can say that he never received a fair chance of coaching this team in his three years, but after multiple reports coming out about his character and the way players felt about him through his tenure, it seemed like the only right thing to do was fire him.
It was evident that the players needed a new voice in the locker room, and it was also evident that Trae Young needed to hear a new voice as well.
It’s time for Trae Young to be “Ice Trae” for the Atlanta Hawks
It has been said that Young likes current Hawks interim Nate McMillan, and he has shown through his years as an NBA coach that he can get the best out of his players. If there’s anything that has changed in the past few games under McMillan, it’s Young’s aggressiveness late in games.
In the first matchup against the Heat, Young was passive and looked timid in the fourth quarter. If the Hawks want to win, he has to do the opposite.
With the Hawks down just six, Huerter drives and kicks the ball out back to Young. Young looks as if he wants to pass it back to Huerter, takes a jab step, and shoots a 30-foot jump shot. He was not comfortable taking that shot.
The Heat were already giving Young a hard time through the night with full-court pressure, doubling him off pick and rolls, and playing zone.
With less than three minutes left in the game and Hawks down two, Young has yet another chance to get the Hawks a score. Instead of taking a screen from Clint Capela, he sees Huerter cutting to the paint and throws a lob pass that could’ve been intended for him or John Collins.
The pass was too high for either of them and was stolen. The Heat then hit a three in transition, and what was once a two-point game turned into a five-point game. The game was still winnable, but the way the Hawks played in the fourth quarter made it seem impossible.
This is not the Young that the Hawks need if they want to creep back in the playoff race.
We’ve all seen the different alter egos NBA players have to offer, and how they come alive when their team needs them the most.
Dame Time. Untucked Kyrie. Jersey-biting Kobe. Game 6 Klay.
If the Hawks want to have a turnaround in the second half of the season, Trae Young has to simply be “Ice Trae” at the end of games. Luckily, it looks like McMillan has unleashed him in the past two.
In the second matchup against the Heat, the first three and the half quarters were not good for Young, and he was on pace to have one of the worst games of his career. It seemed as if Miami had found the blueprint to stop him, but they were certainly mistaken in the last six minutes of the game.
Like the Heat had been doing in the two back-to-back games, they threw two defenders at Young after the screen was set. Instead of trapping, Duncan Robinson goes back to the screener, and Young immediately attacks Gabe Vincent 1-on-1. He then drills the step-back three.
On the Hawks’ next possession, the Heat are set in a zone. Danilo Gallinari comes up to set a screen on Andre Iguodala, but Young doesn’t take it. After just draining one 30-footer, Young takes a deeper one as nobody decides to come up and contest the shot.
In the previous game, Young was looking to break the zone with passing. This time around, he breaks it by creating his own shot.
To put the icing on the cake during the Hawks’ next possession, the Heat go back to man and leave Goran Dragic in a 1-on-1 situation. Even with Iguodala cheating over, Young doesn’t see him as a threat, breaks down Dragic with his dribble, and drains his third consecutive three in a matter of a minute and ten seconds.
Even though Young finished the game with 18 points and shot 5-of-10 from the field, those three shots were the biggest of the game and led the Hawks to a statement win.
The following night against the Orlando Magic, Young finished with 32 points and shot 9-of-19 from the field. The Hawks were down 12 points to start the fourth quarter, but with a team effort were able to come back and keep the game close.
With 1:31 left in the game Young knocked down a three to cut the Magic’s lead down to two. After a stop on defense, Young brings the ball down the court and threw a pass to Tony Snell in the corner for a three to give the Hawks a one-point lead.
The Magic scored again, and the ball was once again in Young’s hand to end the game. He drove to paint and drew a foul, a tactic he’s shown to be very good at this season. He went to the line made both free throws. Another late-game moment where Young comes through for the Hawks.
In just five games with McMillan as the coach, Young has been able to cook down the stretch of games.
With Young’s skill set, he should be able to have the luxury to do this in every game the Hawks need him to. The team is most dangerous when Young plays dangerous, and his aggressive play can get the Atlanta Hawks into the playoff race when the second half of the season starts.
Whether it was a coaching change or a newfound motivation, Ice Trae looks to finally be unleashed.