At the Atlanta Hawks, certain tensions between Trae Young and head coach Nate McMillan apparently erupted on Friday. Within the franchise, there is said to be general displeasure with the appearance of the Hawks star.
Like Shams Charania and Sam Amick from The Athletic report, there was a verbal argument between the franchise star and the coach on Friday, as a result of which McMillan allegedly gave his point guard an ultimatum and the 24-year-old refused to appear in the arena for the home game against the Nuggets.
According to the report, the reason for the dispute was Young’s shoulder problems, which were given as the official reason for the missed game against Denver. In the morning, Coach McMillan is said to have asked Young if he could take part in the shootaround, receive treatment afterwards and play in the evening. However, Young apparently wanted to skip the shootaround and later decide on his availability for the Nuggets game.
That, in turn, reportedly didn’t go over well with McMillan, who gave his star player a choice: either Young would come off the bench against the Nuggets or he wouldn’t have to come to the hall at all. Young apparently chose the latter. However, he shouldn’t have to fear a penalty from the team, and he should be back in the next game against the Thunder.
“There was a miscommunication in the situation with Trae. It’s as simple as that,” McMillan downplayed the matter on Sunday. Noisy The Athletic but there is more behind it. The report said these disagreements are emblematic of tensions between Young, McMillan and the locker room. In the course of the season there should already have been some team meetings in which the various conflicts should have been addressed.
Several Hawks executives are said to question Young’s leadership skills and wish the two-time All-Star would become a “more productive and positive face of the franchise.” The Athletic writes. Meanwhile, McMillan’s job is said to be secure. Young’s difficult relationship with ex-coach Lloyd Pierce had already played a role in his sacking in March 2021.
Atlanta then reached the Conference Finals, but the team hasn’t been able to match those heights since. Last season there was a bitter playoff exit after five games against Miami in the first round, in which Young didn’t make a good impression either.
Over the summer, the Hawks engineered a blockbuster trade for Dejounte Murray, the new backcourt leading the team to a 13-10 record so far and fourth place in the East. In the case of John Collins, there are also indications of another trade before the deadline in February. Young has 27.8 points and 9.6 assists per game this season, but with weak odds of 41.1 percent from the field and 30.3 percent from downtown – both are well below his career average.