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The Atlanta Hawks were not one of the 22 teams invited to Disney World, where the NBA will be resuming its 2019-20 campaign in a pretty unique capacity.
Obviously, having your season end so abruptly is a gut punch, especially when you are a young star eager to play like Trae Young.
Young said he was “mad” and “frustrated” when he found out his Hawks would not be included in the bubble to play for a playoff spot, but that it is “really motivating us to not be in this position next year,” according to Malika Andrews of ESPN.
Atlanta was just 20-47 when the season was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic, and given that the Hawks are 11 games behind the Orlando Magic for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference, the NBA deemed them ineligible to participate in the continuation of the campaign.
Young had a breakout year, playing in 60 games and averaging 29.6 points, 9.3 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 1.1 steals over 35.3 minutes per game while shooting 43.7 percent from the floor, 36.1 percent from 3-point range and 86.0 percent from the free-throw line en route to an All-Star appearance.
The 21-year-old, who played his collegiate basketball at the University of Oklahoma, was originally selected by the Dallas Mavericks with the fifth overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. He was then immediately traded to Atlanta for Luka Doncic.
Young appeared in 81 contests during his rookie campaign, registering 19.1 points, 8.7 assists and 3.7 boards across 30.9 minutes a night while making 41.8 percent of his field goal attempts, 32.4 percent of his long-distance tries and 82.9 percent of his foul shots.
While the Hawks struggled mightily this season, they're in position to potentially make a big jump next season.
