The Atlanta Hawks will be without Trae Young for some time as he deals with a sprained MCL that could keep him out for over a month. On offense, that may sound like a warning sign, as Young is the engine that makes everything go on that side of the ball. If you ask the team, everyone knows that they have to keep doing what they've been doing, but up it just a little bit more.
Dyson Daniels struggled offensively in the first few games, but with Young out, he's picked things up on that end. He recently spoke about how he and the Hawks will have to make ends meet without their star player.
“Everybody has to step up, everyone has to fill his void because he drives the offense,” Daniels said via Jameelah Johnson. “He does a lot on that end of the floor, but everyone is going to have to step up. Last year, I was playing with Trae all year, and I was doing my thing there as well.
“With Trae going down, it’s a big part of our team, so it’s about finding ways to play the same way, push the pace, get guys open. We have to rebound better, get in the paint, shoot more threes, and get our eyes out more. But it’s going to be everyone contributing to that.”
It's obvious that the Hawks will have to keep the ball moving on a string to get good offense, but getting out and transition and getting easy buckets will be key as well.
Hawks must find consistency without Trae Young
The Hawks have already played two full games without Young, and both have gone differently. In their win against the Indiana Pacers, they were able to make things happen in transition, while also dominating the points in the paint. Against the Cleveland Cavaliers, they were contained in transition, and the half-court offense was shaky, leading to a lot of turnovers.
Without Young, the Hawks know they have to take better care of the ball.
“Obviously, with Trae, he attracts so much attention when he’s on the floor,” Luke Kennard said via Lauren Williams of the AJC. “He can create advantages for us just by holding the ball. And obviously, we do have other guys that do that as well. But, I think with his presence out, we just got to continue to play together, play fast, be ourselves, not overthink anything, but just continue to play the right way and play together.”
As time goes on, the Hawks will learn how to play with each other in their new roles, which should limit some of the mistakes they've made early.
