There is so much that goes into a perfect assist. Its about timing and vision, sure, but really its an act of faith, an offer of trust in the teammates whose habits you know so intimately the ball starts to travel to where theyre headed before they even quite know theyre going there.
Trae Young knows how to deliver a perfect assist. In fact, for all Chris Pauls razzle and Nikola Jokics dazzle, its Young whos having an exceptional season in this regard, so definitively topping the NBAs assist chart he should probably have his own page. Hes crossed the 20-assist mark multiple times and spent most of the year hovering around 12 per game. For reference, Magic Johnson spent his career averaging around 11. John Stockton averaged 10-and-a-half.
Not many expected this from Young, not now. Things had been getting more and more sticky in Atlanta over each of the past three years, the Hawks finishing lower and lower in the Eastern Conference standings.
But the truth is, Young started prepping for this nearly two decades ago.
When I was a kid, I would wrap a ball in a garbage bag, walk into the garage and turn the lights off, he says, describing how hed try to hit targets he couldnt see, with a basketball he could barely feel. He knew then the odds of becoming an NBA player were long, but he also never really doubted he would, not when right from the beginning it all felt soreal. Young grew up just 30 miles north of Oklahoma City. His family had Thunder season tickets and connections to some of the coaches and players through his dad, a former college player himself.
Youve likely seen the famous photo of Young and Kevin Durant togetherYoung was 13 years old but doesnt look a day over 10. But you might not have realized that Young would go on to play for the AAU team Durant sponsored. Or that as Young got older, he was occasionally invited to Durants house to watch college basketball games with KD and his friends. Young also became friendly with Russell Westbrooks little brother Ray, and then in turn with Russ.
And then there were the DVDs of Steve Nash that Young watched relentlessly before running to the local YMCA to copy the moves. The truth is that even though Young would become more known for his three-point shot by the time he got to collegethe next Stephen Curry, bleated game broadcast after game broadcastit was Nash whom he always wanted to be, and still thinks he can become.
I still have a lot of room to go. Im going to be one of the best point guards to ever play, and imagine if I do it in Atlanta, he says, noting its been a long time since the Hawks won anything. (Their lone championship came 67 years ago, in 1958.) Thats my focus. I know were not in a position to be doing that right now, but Ill do whatever it takes to get there.
As Young talks, he is standing outside the visitors locker room in downtown Los Angeles, and it is not lost on anyone that at several points over the past couple seasons, it seemed Young might be headed to this hallway but on the home team side. Those were seasons when the words faith and trust or even teammates were not always associated with Young and the rest of the Hawks roster. Instead, NBA circles were chock full of Young-to-the-Lakers trade rumors, hitting overdrive this past June when Young tweeted an hourglass emoji right after JJ Redick was officially named L.A.s new coach.
It was no secret at the time that Young was frustrated that the two-year experiment pairing him with Dejounte Murray hadnt worked. All parties involved have been clear: Young never asked the team for a trade. But it also seems clear he wouldnt have argued with a deal either, especially one sending him to Southern California, where he already has an off-season home.
Except it didnt happen. Eight days after Youngs tweet, the Hawks sent Murray to New Orleans in exchange for two first-rounders, Larry Nance Jr, 21-year-old Australian Dyson Daniels and more.
The trade has only aged better and better for Atlanta in the time since. Nance has become a key stabilizing vet presence, and Daniels has more than lived up to his Great Barrier Thief nickname, giving the Hawks a much-needed defensive menace while doubling his scoring output from last season.
But most of all, the deal created clarity for and around Young.
Trae and Dejounte really were both trying to make it work, but it was more of, like,Should I do this or should you do this?and then,You do it and I will stay out of it, which meant neither could really be their full best self, says Kyle Korver, one of the most prolific three-point shooters in NBA history and now the assistant general manager in Atlanta. I think they were both trying to sacrifice and, ultimately, well, I was once given great marriage advice from my father-in-law. He said,If both of you are only compromising, youre going to have a compromised marriage.Theres something to that with basketball, too.
So trading Murray helped. But it would take more, with effort on both sides. During Summer League, Young flew to Las Vegas to spend time with the Hawks newest players. Afterward, the team brass took Young out to dinner, making sure it was a two-way conversation, asking Young about his frustrations and promising to improve communication with their franchise star.
Youngs relationship with Hawks head coach Quin Snyder also made a difference. Young has had some, um, head coach issues before (see: McMillan, Nate), but he and Snyder have long been kindred spirits and will often text deep into the early morning hours about small moments of a particular game or something Snyder has noticed on film.
This summer, Snyder asked Young to buy in to what would be yet another fresh start for the organization hes played for since 2018. Young said yes.
We use the word evolution a lot, and I think sometimes people are just at the right time in their lives to take a step, Snyder says, noting how Young is still, well, young despite having been an NBA fixture for so long. At just 26, hes at an age where a number of the kids he went to college with are still living with their parents. Yet Young himself is now a married father of two, playing in his eighth season and he is plainly now trying to do things a different way.
Hes let his scoring numbers dip so his teammates could rise. Hes elevated forward Jalen Johnson, empowered sixth man DeAndre Hunter (editors note: this story was published prior to the trade to Cleveland). Plus, as one Hawks exec put it, hes now looking to compete on defense, which was not always the case.
This does not, of course, mean Young has shifted radically. He still knows how to draw a foul, is still one of the craftiest players on the perimeter, still has nights where he tosses off deep bombs like hes swatting flies. But this year, those moments feel less like a main course and more like a garnish. The flash hasnt disappeared; its just been tempered by purpose. And while the Hawks are still a young team just trying to stay in playoff contention in the East, the changes have paid off in all sorts of small ways.
Making the NBA Cup semifinals in December was a particularly nice moment for the franchise, and it didnt hurt that they got there by beating the Knicks in Madison Square Garden. It also didnt go unnoticed that after Young ended the night pretending to roll dice at center court, his teammates crowded around him. Hes earned the trust of his players, Bucks head coach Doc Rivers said a few days later. This team likes playing with him; thats obvious. I couldnt say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.
Milwaukee would go on to beat Atlanta, but Young saw tremendous value in the whole experience. It showed us were a good team, and all it takes is getting on a run, he says. Ive been on a run beforewhen youre on one, and you play well, thats all that matters.
Since then, the Hawks have been both up and down, but Young has maintained his grip on the Leagues assist mark. The truth is, of all the statistics that clutter a box score, its the assist number that tells you the most about what is really going on with a player. Its an intentional choice, night after night, to create the web of connective tissue at the core of any winning team.
Trae Young can deliver a perfect assist. And this season, its not just a pass. Its a promise.
