Atlanta Hawks PG Trae Young is a Future NBA MVP

The Eastern Conference Finals got underway on Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jrue Holiday combined for 67 points, but it wasn’t enough to outlast Trae Young and the Hawks. Ice Trae recorded his playoff career-high with an outstanding 48 points and added 11 assists as well. He was hitting his favorite floater shot and consistently getting into the paint. When he didn’t finish it himself, he was lobbing it to John Collins, who had a 23-point double-double. Atlanta has now won all three Game 1’s this postseason.

INTERESTING FACTS

1st player with 45+ PTS & 10+ AST during 1 Conference Finals GP in NBA history
Most PTS during a Conference Finals debut: 1. Trae (48), 2. Amar’e Stoudemire (41), T3. KD, Devin Booker (40)
Scored or assisted on the most PTS (72) during 1 GP in Conference/Division Finals history
Most GP (6) with 30+ PTS on the road during a player’s 1st postseason in NBA history
1st team to win 3 road Game 1s during a single postseason since the 1998-99 Knicks
Tied LeBron James and Kobe Bryant for the most PTS (48) during 1 playoff GP before turning 23 in NBA history
2nd youngest (22y, 277d) player with 45+ PTS & 10+ AST in 1 playoff GP in NBA history, trailing Luka (22y, 98d)
Most PTS during 1 playoff GP in Hawks history: T1. 1958 Bob Pettit (50), 1986 Dominique Wilkins, 3. 2021 Trae Young (48)

Odds vs. MIL: ATL +280 (Spread +8.0)
ATL Stock Price: $13.67 (via FANDEX)

MAIN TAKEAWAY

ATLANTA HAWKS PG TRAE YOUNG IS A FUTURE NBA MVP

COLORS KEY | FULL HAWKS OUTLOOK

In his first postseason appearance at only 22 years of age, Trae Young looks like a seasoned veteran. Throughout his 13 playoff games, he’s averaging over 30 points per game and has Atlanta three games away from the NBA Finals when many believed they wouldn’t even make the playoffs earlier in the season.

The performances that Young has been stringing together this postseason are MVP-caliber stat-lines. To do what he’s done at such a young age is rarely seen, and if he keeps improving, it is hard to doubt that Ice Trae will become an MVP at some point in his career, as he’s on track to be as lethal as anyone in NBA history. Steph Curry paved the way for this style of play to lead to MVP trophys and Young is even better than Curry was at this age. The sky is the limit for the Hawks franchise player.

BEST HIGHLIGHTS

Young’s career night

TRAE LOBS IT OFF THE BACKBOARD TO COLLINS 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Wg32Mkl4vY
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2021

Sheesh, Trae 🤧 pic.twitter.com/lXRebErjhr
— NBA TV (@NBATV) June 24, 2021

🧊 @TheTraeYoung goes off for an #NBAPlayoffs career-high 48 PTS, 7 REB, 11 AST in the @ATLHawks Game 1 road win vs. MIL! #ThatsGame
He becomes the first player in Hawks franchise history to record 40+ PTS and 10+ AST in a postseason game.
Game 2: Friday at 8:30pm/et on TNT pic.twitter.com/gyBu8uDntM
— NBA (@NBA) June 24, 2021