If there’s anything the Hawks’ victory yesterday showed, it’s that any team can win against any other in the National Basketball Association at any given time. The Cavaliers were heavily favored heading into the set-to, and not just because it was going to be held at the Rockets Mortgage FieldHouse. Given that the latter had hitherto been playing winning hoops to the tune of a league-leading 17-1 slate, hosting visitors with a three-game losing streak seemed to be a cakewalk. Instead, the unexpected occurred, providing all and sundry with a fitting reality check.
Not that the Hawks are better off for good with the victory. To be sure, they needed the confidence boost; if for nothing else, it underscored their capacity to stand toe to toe with the best of the best in the NBA. That said, consistency figures to stay elusive for them. For all their desire to compete, they remain hobbled by an uneven roster that features significant handicaps. No team is perfect, but theirs is less than most; even their supposed strengths feature glaring downsides.
Take, for instance, Trae Young, their acknowledged leader and current league pacesetter in assists. Yesterday, he dished out 22 dimes and came up with timely baskets in the clutch to keep the Cavaliers at bay. As transcendent as he was against the Cavaliers, however, there can be no downplaying his diminishing output. His advanced metrics and all his other counting stats are down, further highlighting his negatives. His talents notwithstanding, he will invariably be a liability on defense at 6’1” and 165 pounds.
To be sure, the Hawks have doubled down on their belief that Young is a bona fide foundational piece. Apart from their decision to move erstwhile starter Dejounte Murray, they have consciously surrounded him with pieces seen to complement his table-setting skills. Meanwhile, he is in the midst of a five-year deal that pays him $43.03 million this season, and the depressed market may well compel him to exercise the player option on his contract in 2026. Which is to say they also have no choice but to lean on him for the foreseeable future.
How far will the Hawks go in their 2024-25 campaign? The best-case scenario has them repeating their deep playoff run in 2021. Unfortunately, it has looked more like a pipe dream in recent memory. The good news is that Young possesses the motivation to do extremely well; he has changed agents and ditched adidas for Nike, and is out to prove he deserves to be counted among the league elite. And individual numbers aside, the only way he can win over critics is to steer the red and yellow to success. Whether he will ultimately do so, though, is anybody’s guess.
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.
