Trae Young, man. What else can you even say about this man? The Atlanta Hawks star has been on a mission to plant himself among the league's best. So far, it's working: he's inserted himself into elite territory with his performances this season.
Against the star-laden Brooklyn Nets, Trae Young put on a clinic that put him on Michael Jordan and Russell Westbrook's level. The Hawks star joined the two mentioned players as the only players to put up 25+ points and 10+ assists in five straight games since the NBA-ABA merger. Talk about elite company! (via ESPN Stats and Info)
Trae Young joins Russell Westbrook (2x) and Michael Jordan as the only players with 25 points & 10 assists in 5 straight games since the NBA-ABA merger (1976-77).
Since entering the league in 2018, Young has the most games of 25 points & 10 assists with 56. pic.twitter.com/gqWhFT3Yrd
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) December 11, 2021
The craziest part about this stat is that the game wasn't even done when Trae Young got this record! The Hawks star managed to get 25 points AND 10 assists before the fourth quarter started. That's just even more proof of Young's talent and ability to impact the game.
There were doubts surrounding Young and the Hawks before the season started. Was their Eastern Conference Finals run a flash in the pan? Could Young sustain his scoring output despite the league cracking down on his foul-baiting tendencies. While the former hasn't quite been answered yet, Young has shown that he can still score even without ticky-tacky fouls going his way.
The Hawks are sitting at 13 – 12 prior to their game against the Nets. With Trae Young performing like this on a consistent basis, there's a high chance this team will be way over the .500 mark by the end of the season. Don't sleep on the Hawks, because if you do, they'll capitalize on your complacency.