Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young is not afraid to take ownership for his shortcomings.
Young said that he he felt he let his team down during Atlanta's 110-100 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night, citing a number of easy missed field goals (via ESPN):
“For me, trying to be one of the closers, I have to be better,” Young said. “I was getting wide-open looks and missing. I felt like I let my team down tonight.”
The second-year guard is already developing leadership habits and recognizing that he carries the weight of the franchise on his shoulders. That is not much of an exaggeration.
Young has been fantastic this year, averaging 27.7 points, 8.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds through his first 25 games while shooting a very respectable 37 percent from deep on close to nine attempts per game.
Despite Young's heroics, however, the Hawks are 6-20 and tied for last place in the Eastern Conference. Jabari Parker has been a nice scoring addition, and rookie wing DeAndre Hunter is beginning to show some signs of improvement. But Cam Reddish has been a disappointment, while injuries and suspensions have already done their part to mar Kevin Huerter and John Collins' seasons, respectively.
Atlanta ranks ninth in pace, but just 25th in offensive rating in part because they lead the league in turnovers and also rank last in three-point percentage, according to Basketball Reference. Things have been even worse defensively, as the Hawks rank 29th in defensive rating.
Still, the competitor in Young is evident. That is a positive sign for a team struggling to stay optimistic.
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