Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young recently received criticism from Brooklyn Nets head coach Steve Nash after their encounter a couple of weeks ago.
Young was seen doing a ‘running up the back' strategy in order to fish for fouls against the Nets players. Although the move is deemed legal by the league officials, Nash still didn't like what he saw from Young and claimed ‘that's not basketball' to the referee during the game.
The 22-year-old took the comments in stride and said that he understood Nash's reaction as both of them just wanted to get the win for their respective teams. Young also bared that he modeled his game after Nash who was also used to do the same tactics back in his playing days.
“I saw that it blew up and everyone was talking about it,” he said via The Athletic. “I bet if I was playing for Steve, he’d be happy. It’s something in the midst of competition that he was wanting to win, and I was wanting to win, and I’m gonna do whatever it takes. I think him wanting to get in the refs’ ears a little bit was just trying to help him. I learned a lot about drawing fouls from him. If he says it’s not basketball, he must’ve been saying it about himself because he’s done it a couple of times throughout his career and was so successful.”
Young's strategy proved to be working for the Hawks as they are currently ranked second in the league in free throw percentage with 81.9%. The point guard himself is shooting on an 88.9% clip from the charity stripe early in the season. He is also ranked second in the league in free throws attempted per game with 9.69, only trailing behind Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo.
His efficiency from shooting free throws helped him in his overall production on offense as he averages norms of 22.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 8.9 assists through 13 games played. With Young's contributions along with the new faces on the team, the Hawks have significantly improved on their level of play this season, as compared to recent years.
They are currently holding a 6-7 record with the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference. Trae Young and the Hawks will look to grab their second-straight victory when they host the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 20.
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