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The Atlanta Hawks officially took care of business on Wednesday night in the first round by taking down the New York Knicks in five games. It was a very dominant performance from Nate McMillan's squad, who actually lost all three meetings against the Knicks during the regular season.
However, the playoffs were a much different story. Now, they prepare for a very tough battle with the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, who knocked out the Washington Wizards. However, Philly could be without Joel Embiid for a few games at the very least, which is good news for the Hawks.
By no surprise, their X-factor in this series will be Trae Young. The Atlanta star was absolutely brilliant against New York, averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists through five appearances. He basically torched the Knicks every single night, whether he was weaving his way to the cup or stepping back and hitting a deep 3.
However, Round 2 will be a different story. The Sixers are one of the best defensive teams in the Association (with experience unlike the Knicks) and Young will likely be guarded by Ben Simmons. It's going to be a huge mismatch in terms of size, and Simmons also has the athleticism and quickness to keep up with Trae.
Philly is a relatively big team, which means the Hawks guard won't have the same ease getting inside and finishing, even with Embiid out of the lineup. He will need to revert to taking more 3s while getting his fellow shooters involved like Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter.
The Sixers will be looking to make the adjustments that New York didn't when it comes to containing Young. Defending him straight up and making him take more shots from deep will be key. Trae will have to continue to facilitate at a high level as well and trust his teammates, with John Collins and Clint Capela expected to do their part offensively as well.
Philly is going to make it tough on Trae Young, there's no question. But considering how he and the Hawks have played in this postseason so far, don't count them out.
