Trae Young was spent. He had no more legs after having played 35 minutes in Game Six of the Eastern Conference Finals. He gave his all, but it wasn’t enough. In fact, it was nowhere near enough; he wasn’t going to let the bone bruise in his right foot sideline him anew, but it clearly bothered him from the outset yesterday. What he termed his “blow-by speed” was nowhere to be found, compelling him to exert more energy in trying to shake off defenders for his trademark floaters or drop passes. And it was evident in the numbers: He shot only four of 17 from the field and committed five turnovers to finish with a minus-five net rating.
Whether Young wound up hampering instead of helping the Hawks is subject to debate. Supersub Lou Williams performed admirably in his absence, norming 19 markers on 15-of-24 shooting and six and a half dimes at the point. All the same, there was no way he would be sitting out a do-or-die affair. Regardless of his fitness, or lack thereof, he needed to be on the court for Game Six. And while yesterday did not go as planned, he can at least face the offseason having known he left nothing in the tank. He was simply too handicapped to make a difference.
Considering how close the Hawks came to forging a path to the Finals, it’s easy to ponder on the What Ifs heading into the 2021-22 season. In truth, they have no reason not to hold their heads high. After all, not even the most optimistic punters saw them reaching as far as they did. So while they may be ruing the freak accident Young suffered in Game Three of the East Finals, there can be no discounting the lessons they learned on the need to cope with unforeseen circumstances. Experience has taught them some, and will continue to lecture them over time.
If nothing else, the Hawks can at least console themselves with the fact that injuries likewise took a toll on the campaigns of other hopefuls. From the Lakers to the Nuggets to the Jazz to the Clippers to the Celtics to the Nets, stars going down altered fates and rewrote the future. Even the Suns and Bucks, set to butt heads for the Larry O’Brien Trophy, needed to overcome gut punches along the way. Which is to say the red and yellow will be all the better for what they went through. Payoff figures to be a matter of when, not if. They have cause to count their blessings — even now, and even as they continue to cast moist eyes on the hardware.
Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is a consultant on strategic planning, operations and Human Resources management, corporate communications, and business development.
