‘He is Fearless’: Atlanta Hawks Coach Nate McMillan Explains Why Trae Young is the Future of NBA

The Hawks started their 2020-21 campaign with a 14-20 result and it became partially clear that they might become a play-in team. However, their 8-game win-streak spread around the All-Star break brought them back into the game. Thanks to Trae Young and his never-say-die self, the team almost reached the #4 seed.

In the postseason, Atlantic side entered Round 1 with lower odds to defeat a fan-favorite and much more popular Knicks. Yet, the Hawks, with no home-court advantage, kept winning and upsetting the hosts with their sheer determination. But none of that would be possible without two names, Nate McMillan and Trae.

Atlanta Hawks head coach sings praises of Trae Young 

Recently, the Atlanta Hawks’ head coach Nate McMillan discussed why Trae Young has a very bright future. His words reflected surety and it felt as if he could bet his life on Trae’s sureshot success. 

The elated coach expressed, “Trae has a special talent that you need to have success in postseason. He has a talent that a lot of guys don’t have. His ability to spread the floor, shoot the three ball, he has a mid-range game, he shoots a high percentage from the free throw line. He has excellent vision out on the floor. He is fearless, he competes every second that he’s out on the floor… that’s the thing that I saw, I saw the growth start to come when he was doing the job of managing the game.” 

Ice Trae has become a hot property in the league. In New York and Philadelphia, he has innumerable fans who dislike him to the core for how he ‘hushed’ them during the postseason. Yet, amidst all the booing and crazy fan behavior, Trae produced memorable performances in his debut playoffs.

May 26, 2021; Trae Young moves the ball against Julius Randle during the ECQ at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Elsa/POOL PHOTOS-USA TODAY Sports

Read more – Trae Young’s Father Told Celtics Executives to “Keep an Eye” on His Son

What does the future hold for the star point guard?

Apart from multiple All-Star recognitions, Trae Young has an MVP capability if he can pull the Hawks to a better regular season. He averaged close to 29 points in the 16 playoff games and that too against the top teams like the Sixers and the Bucks. 

As the 56-YO coach, who joined the Hawks mid-season, added, “When I first took over, I just felt like he is playing the game, all four quarters at the same speed. He wasn’t adjusting, adapting to the game, especially in the fourth quarter. With his skill, his talent, he will win a lot of games and be playing deep into the seasons as he did this season.”

“He will win big.”@ATLHawks head coach Nate McMillan tells @TermineRadio & @Jumpshot8 what he saw in @TheTraeYoung‘s postseason debut.#TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/C9PQFaerxE

— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) July 14, 2021

Unfortunately for Trae, he injured himself during the series with the Bucks and could not return to his former form. That led to their series loss but it still showed that the 6-ft star can perform well beyond his physical stature.

Are you a Trae Young fan? Please let us know why or why not in the comments below. 

Watch this story – Hawks’ Trae Young’s Iconic Moment from NBA Playoffs 2021

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