We’ve Never Seen a Downfall Like This

We’ve Never Seen a Downfall Like This

In just the fourth game of the season, Trey Young goes down after his own player slams into his knee. That hurt. But the worst part, it was a flop. Look closely. This dude Mo Gay is barely touched, but falls so hard into his superstar teammate. What a terrible time because the Hawks are just one and three after having an A+ off season. Now Trey gets hurt, but that injury may change the Hawks forever because they got to see what life looks like without Trey. Now it’s not even controversial to say he is their second best player. Jaylen Johnson’s a bonafide all-star. I mean, this dude just notched the second fastest triple double in NBA history against the Nuggets. He’s gotten better every year now pop. But this is terrible timing for Trey Young cuz for the first time since getting drafted, the Hawks don’t need him like they used to, which means that big Max contract is not going to come. I’m talking pay cut in his prime. But when is the last time we saw a guy demoted from the Max at 27 years old with no serious injury only one time in recent NBA history? His name D’Angelo Russell. Now, Trey is a better overall player than DLo. So, we’ve never actually seen a downfall like this, but it’s the only comp we got, but how could the Hawks replace Trey’s skill set? Well, it turns out they already have the perfect plan to replace Trey Young, and it’s actually genius. But I am so excited that Mint Mobile is sponsoring today’s video because a phone bill just doesn’t need to be this expensive. I mean, an average American spends $141 per month. Mint can cost just $15 per month. What are we doing? And most people think that it’s hard to switch. It’s not. Or that the service isn’t good. No. Mint provides 5G coverage to 98% of Americans and 4G LTE coverage to 99% of Americans. That is unlimited talk and tax, plus free call into Mexico, Canada, and the UK with hotspot included. 10 gigs hotspot on unlimited. Oh, and you can keep your phone number and all your existing contacts when you switch. All you have to do, it’s easy. Sign up. Activate in minutes with eim from the comfort of your own home. That’s it. And 96% of users rate themselves as highly satisfied with Mint’s customer care. Plus, there is a 7-day money back guarantee. So, for a limited time this holiday season, you can get 50% off an unlimited premium wireless plan from Mint. Lock in Mint’s lowest price of the year and pay just 15 bucks a month for three, six, or a 12-month plan. Click the link in the description or scan the QR code you see on your screen. Thanks again to Mint Mobile. So this off season, the New Hawks front office got to work. They brought back a core of Trey Young, Jaylen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Zachary Reese while acquiring Kristoff Scorzingis in a trade signing Nquille Alexander Walker. So huge top four, even top three seed expectations. But what they did not do was extend Trey Young. Now in the past, that would be unthinkable. The Hawks used to bend over backwards to make this man happy. They fired multiple coaches who just rubbed Trey the wrong way. But now he ain’t got the same juice as before. He has gone from the young franchise piece to someone they’re not sure they can win with. It’s exactly what happened to D’Angelo Russell. He was the number two pick in 2015, but his teams kept asking the same question. Are we actually better with DLO running the show? Brooklyn talked themselves into yes for one season. He made the all-star put up big numbers, but they were smoked in the first round of the playoffs. Sound familiar? Still, DLO got a max deal in the sign and trade to Golden State. But the second he stopped looking like a franchise guy. The market flipped. The Warriors moved off. Minnesota tried to sell the idea that he and Cat were some superstar duo, but doomed to fail because DLO was miscast from day one. He was never going to win big games as the number one or number two. So, a miserable existence. If he was used correct from the start, this whole thing could have been avoided. So, will Trey course correct say, you know what, I’m not a Max player and accept that this is Jaylen Johnson’s team cuz this dude has taken an allstar leap before our eyes. He was the number 20 pick in 2021 and we all knew he was good, but this year is different. How? Well, we knew the defense would be better without Trey, but the Hawks new offense is amazing. A big chunk of their work is in transition. Third most fast break points in the league. It’s guys like Johnson, Dyson Daniels, Reza, all tall and long. But Johnson’s a beast at 68 220. The perfect transition player. Look how he makes Colin Ston look like a JV player with his high pickup and finish. But this year, his halfcourt is special. Dude can put defenders on his hip, bump, separate from the mid-range J. At a pick and roll, he skates into open space, flow out for a rhythm fadeaway. That is touch. Not just explosive athleticism. He is now shooting at a 40% clip from deep, but the passing. I’m not saying that Jaylen is Trey Young, but over seven dimes a game from a guy who’s 68 is special. Look how that mid-range threat that he has pulls the defense back for this lob. I also love this read out of pick and roll where he’s going to extend this pocket pass around Paul George and just perfectly lead Dyson Daniels to the rim. This kid is a high IQ basketball player. Not just an athlete, but one thing that Trey never learned was off ball movement. Jaylen slices up a defense with cuts. Look how John Collins here tries to cheat over toward Porzingis at the nail. And in the blink of an eye, Johnson’s cutting behind him and getting this dunk at the rim. And then because of Johnson’s unique build, you can also plug him into any offball action. This is just a simple crosscreen and semi-transition. Jaylen’s going to curl all the way around for an easy paint touch. Jaylen Johnson is basically who every team hopes their big 68 wing will turn into. Must feel so good for the Hawks to have an offense that’s not all about one guy. Yeah, Trey is a great passer, but he commands the rock and doesn’t move off ball. Mix inefficiency, bad defense. No wonder they don’t offer him the max. I mean, look at this. Trey may be the best passer in the NBA. Led with over 11 dimes per game last year. That is elite. But he is inefficient from all areas scoring. Most of his career shot below 35% on pull-up threes. Lacks size, strength, and lift to create consistent offense in the mid-range and his rim finishing. Handicap from being 6’2. No verticality to play above the basket. careerhigh at the rim, 55% in 2022, still 13% below league average. Now, yes, he can torch a defense some nights, but that early comp to Steph Curry went out the window a long time ago. So, right now, the Hawks have the number eight defense in the league without Trey. Do you know the last time they were top 10? 2017, 2 years before Trey. His whole era there has been defined by bottom 10, bottom five defense. So, is he going to mess this up when healthy or accept his new role? Well, if not, the Hawks have the perfect plan already. It turns out this new front office is either really smart or really lucky because on draft night they had picked 13, which is exactly what the Pelicans wanted. So, Joe Dumar called the Hawks and offered getting Derek Queen at 13, which looks decent for number 23 and their 2026 first round pick. Well, right now, no picks got a better shot to go number one. And it turns out the gem of this draft happens to be a point guard named Darren Peterson. He has the competitive fire like Trey, three-level scoring, playmaking, but at 66 defensive potential that Trey literally can’t compete with. So, if the Hawks do well in the draft, Trey Young moves on, they got all this cap space, they could be in an even better position without him. Talk about leverage in negotiations. There’s no way this kid’s getting the Max. And if that hurts his feelings and he wants to leave, well, where would that be? Well, the Hawks already opened up trade talks and the only bite was from the Sacramento Kings. Zack Lavine’s reps wanted a swap with Lavine and Trey Young, and the old front office even discussed De’aran Fox, but the new Kings GM says he’s got no interest in Trey. So, other desperate teams that we can’t rule out include the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks, maybe even the Dallas Mavericks. But right now, we are watching the downfall of Trey Young in real time. Because when the league stops viewing a 27-year-old AllNBA guard as a Max guy, it’s not about money. It’s a verdict. A contract is the clearest way that teams reveal what they actually think about a guy’s ability to drive winning. Once a front office decides your talent doesn’t automatically translate to wins, everything changes. Trade value dips, leverage disappears, the entire conversation goes from how can we build around him to can we actually win with him? That’s exactly what we saw with DLO and now unfortunately with Trey Young. But if Jaylen Johnson doesn’t win most improved this year, maybe it’s Denny Abia because the Wizards thought that he reached his potential, they traded him away. They had no idea dude would grow like this. Now we are seeing an allstar season from Denny. But how did he go from underrated to overperforming now in the Blazers?

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The Hawks have found their next star and now for the first time in years they don’t need Trae Young like they did before. This is a great thing for the team overall but leaves a big question about his future. This is a look at Atlanta and how Jalen Johnson has taken an All-Star leap this year.

Help with AM Hoops Film Study on this video provided by Thekidshere. Find his work on YouTube at  / @thekidshere6955 ​