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The Atlanta Hawks will be heading into the offseason with questions surrounding what the next step of the team will be. It was supposed to be a developmental year while also competing, and that's exactly what they were able to accomplish. Unfortunately, it did not end in a postseason appearance, but there are some great things to look forward to when looking at the core group of guys on the team.
Trae Young's future with the team has been questioned this season, and it definitely will be questioned going into the offseason. The Hawks' point guard has let it be known that he wants to win, but with missing the playoffs the past two seasons, some may think his patience may be running low. During end-of-the-season media availability, Young was asked if he thinks he can win in Atlanta.
“Of course,” Young said. “We're one of the 30 NBA teams. I feel like you can win here. I've won here before. I haven't won a championship, but I've achieved a lot of things here. I know what it takes; I can definitely win here.”
The Hawks are just coming off a loss against the Miami Heat in the Play-In Tournament, which cost them their playoff chances, and Young was not afraid to hide his disappointment a day later.
“I think it's okay to be upset about it,” Young said. “I think it's okay to get upset. I don't think it's okay to be okay with losing. I'm upset about it, I'm not happy that I'm talking to y'all at the end of the season right now, I wish it was later. It's okay for it to be upsetting, but you gotta do something to change it. For me, I just want to win, and you just gotta do whatever you need to so you can change it.”
Trae Young gives assessment of Hawks' season
After their loss against the Heat, Young was asked how he would assess the Hawks' season.
“We all look at the season differently,” Young said. “For me personally, not making the playoffs is a failure for me, no matter who is out there. No matter how much adversity with injuries we've had to face, I still felt like we had a good enough group to make the playoffs.”
The Hawks had many things happen to them that changed the course of their season. Jalen Johnson only played 36 games this season because of injuries, and De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic were traded at the deadline. Larry Nance Jr. and Clint Capela were also two key players that were injured late in the season.
Despite all of that, the Hawks were still able to win 40 games and had a chance of making the playoffs, but they came up short. With Young having one more year left on his contract, the question is whether he will sign an extension or play out his contract and see what happens from there.
