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In what was a testy affair that saw Nic Claxton be ejected for a flagrant foul penalty two, it was the Atlanta Hawks that came out on top on opening night against the Brooklyn Nets, 120-116. Both teams may be expected to compete for lottery balls for next year's Cooper Flagg sweepstakes, but with Trae Young still playing at a high level, the Hawks should remain semi-competitive moving forward.
Young did not miss a single beat; in 37 minutes of play, he put up 30 points, five rebounds, and 12 assists, running the Hawks' offense like a sweet symphony. In so doing, the Hawks star climbed the all-time leaderboard for most 20-point and 10-assist games in the history of the NBA.
According to Hawks PR on X (formerly known as Twitter), Young had the 157th 20-10 game of his career, which is currently good for 13th-most all time. He is only four such games away from tying the late great Jerry West who is at 12th place on the all-time rankings.
Young, from the moment he stepped foot in the NBA, has been one of the most dynamic scoring and playmaking threats in the league. He has the ball on a string at all times, and he is also not shy to let it fly from everywhere on the court. Moreover, his ability to draw fouls and get to the charity stripe on a consistent basis helps him maintain a high scoring floor, allowing him to clear the 20-point mark with relative ease.
With Dejounte Murray now out of the picture, Young figures to commandeer more of the Hawks' offense, and he did so at a high level in their opening night win. Fans should expect Young to put up these sort of numbers on a nightly basis, provided, of course, that he manages to stay away from the injury bug.
Trae Young and Hawks soar high to start off the season
The Hawks were expected to fade into obscurity following the blockbuster trade that sent Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans. Perhaps they still would even after their opening night win against the Nets. But they won't be an easy team to beat, especially when Trae Young is leading the offense to perfection.
But it wasn't just Young who showed up for the Hawks in their season-opening win against the Nets. A few of the Hawks' youngsters came to play. Onyeka Okongwu, despite still being in a bench role, was phenomenal, and it looks like it shouldn't be long until he takes over the starting spot. He scored 28 points and hauled in eight boards off the bench, and he showed the defensive mobility on the perimeter that has made him stand out as a prospect.
Meanwhile, Dyson Daniels, the Hawks' main get in the Murray trade, was outstanding. He tallied five steals and was a defensive pest all night long, and he wasn't a zero on offense, scoring 15.
The Hawks' new $150 million man, Jalen Johnson, should only get better from here as well as he struggled to shoot the ball on Wednesday night.
