Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks knows that New York Knicks fans have been rejoicing all season. After a long eight years of missing the NBA postseason, the franchise clinched the fourth seed in Sunday afternoon’s victory over the Boston Celtics. For fans, this is a major milestone. But for head coach Tom Thibodeau, there’s still work to be done.
The Knicks have emerged as a legitimate favorite to make a run in this year’s postseason. Their tremendous defense along with contributions on the offensive end has allowed them to overpower teams. Their leader, Julius Randle, has played at an MVP-caliber level with 24.1 points per game along with 10.2 rebounds in the regular season. Randle has emerged as a fan favorite due to his ability to score and ability to read defenses and find open teammates. Heading into this first playoff series, he will need to keep the momentum rolling.
The Knicks will face the Atlanta Hawks in the first round with a home-court advantage on their side.
During the regular season, the Knicks won all three matchups against Atlanta, including two 40-point games from Randle. Going into the series, the Hawks will be led by sensational point guard Trae Young. As Young has emerged into the premier all-around point guards, his impact on the offensive end could carry the Hawks to a first-round series win.
The Knicks’ main priority is to slow down Young. Despite his inexperience in the postseason, he can still impact the game quickly where his team can have momentum. There are a few ways where New York can take Trae Young out of his rhythm and not allow him to impact the offense.
Knicks keys vs Trae Young: Slow his pace of play
Young can score in a multitude of ways. It’s not only his three-point shot, but he can slither into the teeth of the defense and knock down floaters. As Young breaks down defenders with his ability to score, his hot shooting can result in a blowout for the opposing team. Thibodeau will need to approach the Knicks – Hawks series with a game plan to slow down Young’s scoring.
New York has already shown this season that they can prevent Young from having scoring outbursts. In their previous matchup on April 21, Young was limited to 20 points on only one three-point make. Although Young still found a way to make field goals, the Knicks will live with Young being limited to 6/17 shooting in an overtime win. The combination of Elfrid Payton, Derrick Rose, and even RJ Barrett will need to do a great job of containing Young from scoring.
Don’t allow Trae Young to read his teammates
Young’s IQ is so tremendous and understands how to find his teammates. He is excellent at reading his big men in the pick and roll while also delivering passes to perimeter scorers. The moral of the story is if Young gets his teammates going, it could result in momentum switching the Hawks way against the Knicks.
Young is a career nine assists per game passer, as the Knicks know well. Although he can score on his own, he also tends to be unselfish on offense as well. Head coach Nate McMillan will certainly look for Young to feed scorers in John Collins, Kevin Huerter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and others.
In conclusion, slowing down Young in a seven-game series can become a difficult task. There will be moments where he does catch fire from the perimeter and place the team on his back. But with the way the Knicks have defended this season, their task to slow down Young can be done.
It will be a hard-fought series that the Knicks believe they can advance past successfully.