There was clearly a problem with the shoot of Trae Young in this Game 4. Of course, the defense of Ben Simmons or Matisse Thybulle has something to do with it, the size and the scope of the two Sixers hampering the leader of the Hawks, also awaited by a forest of arms each time he enters the racket.
But his floaters were often very short (there were even one or two airballs …) and even his open shots from afar were out of order, like that ugly 3-point brick in the first quarter …
In the end, he finished with 25 points but 8/26 shooting, including 3/11 3-point. A big part of the explanation lies in this bandage on the right shoulder, which he hid from his coach. It was not until the warm-up, when his player took off his tracksuit, that Nate McMillan discovered the problem!
“He looked at me and his gaze clearly expressed that he was not aware”, confirm Trae Young. “I told him it was fine, that everything was good and that we could go for the victory. “
After the meeting, however, he tried to minimize the problem, explaining that he was not embarrassed.
“It didn’t bother me. You just had to fight this pain. Knowing it was a bit painful, I tried to work my shoulder and keep it warm throughout the game. I don’t blame my awkwardness on my arm. I had a lot of good shots. But they weren’t coming home. “
“Something’s going on with his shoulder but he hasn’t complained. He missed shots that he normally puts out. But he continued to do what he usually does. He’s a very tough kid ”
“When he took off his tracksuit, it was the first time that I saw him (the bandage) ”confirmed his coach. “Obviously something’s going on with his shoulder but he hasn’t complained. He missed shots that he normally puts out. But he continued to do what he usually does. He’s a very tough kid ”.
The playoffs are always a complicated time for coaches, forced to juggle injuries and injured players who want to play at all costs. This is even more true this season, following the very condensed calendar of the campaign. But if Nate McMillan saw a trae Young embarrassed to shoot, he also saw his point guard dissect the defense of the Sixers, especially on the pick-and-roll. Always so smart and patient, he served his interiors (Clint Capela, John Collins) towards the circle or his shooters (Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kevin Huerter, Danilo Gallinari).
In the end, he finished with 18 assists, tying his career record in terms of one-game offerings. At 22, he even becomes the youngest player in history to reach this total in the playoffs. Above all, he found his partners in the key moments to conclude the comeback of his team, and equalize (2-2) in the series.
| Bring young | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Tirs | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | ATL | 81 | 31 | 41.8 | 32.4 | 82.9 | 0.8 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 8.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 3.8 | 0.2 | 19.1 |
| 2019-20 | ATL | 60 | 35 | 43.7 | 36.1 | 86.0 | 0.5 | 3.7 | 4.3 | 9.3 | 1.7 | 1.1 | 4.8 | 0.1 | 29.6 |
| 2020-21 | ATL | 63 | 34 | 43.8 | 34.3 | 88.6 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 9.4 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 4.1 | 0.2 | 25.3 |
| Total | 204 | 33 | 43.1 | 34.3 | 86.1 | 0.7 | 3.3 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 4.2 | 0.2 | 24.1 | |
