Patrick Beverley let Trae Young have it after the Atlanta Hawks’ season opener turned into a rout, ripping into Young’s defense in a blistering film breakdown that stoked an old feud and amplified an ugly night for the franchise.

Beverley, the veteran guard, posted a clip on X that broke down Young’s defensive effort and mocked what he saw. “Why is he showing? Is he a European foreman? Why is he showing? Why is a guard showing on a guard? Look at that, no effort,” Beverley said, his tone part ridicule, part exasperation. The comments arrived after the Hawks fell 138-118 to the Toronto Raptors in a game Atlanta never really recovered from. 

The headlines were brutal. RJ Barrett led the Raptors with 25 points, and Toronto poured it on in the third quarter, opening a gap the Hawks couldn’t close. Trae Young finished with 22 points and five assists but shot 5-of-14 from the floor and missed seven attempts from deep, per the official ESPN box score. The numbers underline what Beverley’s clip accused: offense without the defensive accountability necessary to win tight games. 

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Beverley has never been shy about calling out teammates or opponents, and his take lands differently inside the locker room. The Hawks are still trying to find cohesion after roster changes and new rotations. When your defense falls asleep on assignments, and your opponents post a 45-point quarter, the result is predictable. Beverley’s tough-love approach will either light a fire under the group or add noise the team doesn’t need. 

Young has been the face of the franchise for years, and nights like this one expose why questions about leadership and consistency follow him. Fans and analysts will pick apart the clip and the film.

If anything positive exists for Atlanta, it’s one game in a long season. Still, after a blowout that produced public finger-pointing from a veteran like Beverley, the Hawks can expect this headline, and the scrutiny that comes with it, to stick around until they prove otherwise.