Atlanta Hawks' star guard Trae Young has missed the team's practices and media sessions the last two days, but he was excused for both absences, according to The Athletic's Jeff Schultz.
His absence on Thursday was also completely unrelated to his absence from media yesterday, per Schultz.
The Hawks fired head coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday, after a tough season for the team and reported multiple clashes between Young and McMillan this season. Although Atlanta still has a good chance to participate in the NBA's play-in round, expectations were a lot higher for a team that advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in 2021.
Many critics around social media have directly correlated Trae Young's play this season with McMillan's firing; the search has already begun in earnest for the teams new head coach.
Atlanta general manager Landry Fields announced the firing, with assistant coach Joe Prunty set to serve as interim coach. He joined the Hawks in July of 2021 as lead assistant.
“I would like to thank Nate for his leadership and professionalism during his time with the Hawks,” Fields said in a statement. “He is truly a class act, and we appreciate the graciousness and work ethic he brought with him every day.”
The 58-year-old McMillan went 99-80 as Atlanta's head coach, including a 27-11 record as interim in the second half of the 2020-21 season, per Associated Press.
“McMillan was frustrated in his attempts to improve Atlanta's defense, a consistent weakness that weighed down a team led by high-scoring guard Trae Young,” AP wrote.
The Atlanta Hawks are 29-30 this season, good enough for eighth place in the NBA's competitive Eastern Conference.
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