Hawks Guard Trae Young Downplays Reported Issue With Head Coach

The Atlanta Hawks have had an above average start to the season compared to the rest of the east. Atlanta are 13-10, which is first in the Southeast Conference and fourth in the Eastern Conference. They last played on Friday night, getting a 117-109 vs the Denver Nuggets at home. Not playing in that game was two-time all-star guard, Trae Young, and there may be more to the situation that many presumed. 

Young was downplaying the reported issue he had with Hawks head coach Nate MacMillan that led to him missing Friday’s game. Luckily, the Hawks had Dejounte Murray score (34) and rookie AJ Griffin score (24) to lead the Hawks to a win. All starters for Atlanta recorded double figures scoring. Could this issue with Young and his head coach lead to a bigger problem down the line?

NBA betting sites have the Hawks at (+5000) to win the Finals this season.

Trae Young chose to not play Friday’s game vs. Nuggets due to an exchange with HC Nate McMillan during shootaround, per @shamscharania

McMillan reportedly disagreed with Young's shoulder rehab approach and gave him the options to "play off the bench—or don't show up at all." pic.twitter.com/V4DnyoUqKW

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 4, 2022

It was Trae Young’s choice not to play on Friday night

Atlanta Hawks all-star PG Trae Young says the issue was blown way out of proportion once it became known to the public. Young had this to say on the matter.

“It’s hard for people who don’t know the full situation to understand it,”… “It’s a private matter made public, which was unfortunate. If it stayed private it probably wouldn’t have been as big of a deal.” – Trae Young

"If it was to stay private, it probably wouldn't have been that big of a deal," – Trae Young

Says when you're an outsider to a private situation, you should stay on the outside. #Hawks pic.twitter.com/6dQrGTV2Yg

— Reggie Chatman Jr. (@ReggieChatman) December 5, 2022

According to reports from NBA insider Shams Charania, Trae Young and his head coach were not happy with each other on Friday night prior to their game with the Nuggets. Young chose to miss Friday’s shootaround to get treatment on his shoulder and told his coach that he would decide whether or not he’d be playing closer to game time. His head coach then reportedly gave him an ultimatum, saying he could either play off the bench, or not play at all. Trae did not play in Friday’s game.

There are still lingering questions between the two, and if the matter may cause more issues going forward. Young’s three-point and field goal percentage are the lowest of his career, even less than his rookie season in 2018-19. Atlanta will host the Thunder tonight at 7:30pm.