Hawks' Trae Young drops 'reminder' statement after 43-point game vs. Suns

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In a game where the Atlanta Hawks were without Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter, it was going to take a little more from everyone else to get a win. They got exactly what they needed, and they got it from a familiar face in Trae Young, who finished with 43 points and helped the Hawks defeat the Phoenix Suns 122-117.

This year, Young hasn’t had as many shot attempts as usual, but he’s been doing a good job of getting his teammates involved a lot, which has led to him leading the league in assists.

“It seems like now guys are more worried about my passing than my scoring,” Young said after the game. “Sometimes, you gotta remind them that you can score too.

“I know what we're capable of, even when guys are out. We can go out there, make some noise, and make some plays. That's what we did tonight. But we always have to give a little bit more, including myself. I can't just ask everyone else to give a little bit more when guys are out and not expect myself to do more. That's something I take on myself, too, but we all played a big factor in giving a little bit more.”

Outside of Young, Onyeka Okongwu finished the game with 22 points and 21 rebounds, controlling the paint on both sides of the ball. Garrison Mathews knocked down five three-pointers, and Vit Krejci finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and six assists. Krejci was more aggressive than usual and had the job of guarding Kevin Durant for most of the game with Zaccharie Risacher in foul trouble.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawks started off with two back-to-back threes, and down the stretch got some big shots from several players to help them get the win.

Trae Young comes up big in Hawks win

After the game, head coach Quin Snyder gave credit to Trae Young for his 43-point game, and being able to step up with Jalen Johnson and De’Andre Hunter out.

“His shot attempts are down, and credit to him, that doesn't bother him at all,” Snyder said. “He's not shooting many shots because he's distributing more, but he's also scoring when we need him to score. And he's done that during the game with Dre and Jalen out there. Tonight, he needed to do it for longer during the game.”

Young played 38 minutes, which included him playing the entire third quarter. The Hawks went into the fourth with the lead, and they were able to do good without him on the floor.

“The biggest thing I kept telling him is that we don't want to have to just rely on you for every possession because he'll wear down,” Snyder said. “They're throwing multiple defenders at him. He's used to that, but that's why it's so important for us to run, and that gets other guys involved when we do need him when the game slows down, he's fresher. Tonight was one of those nights we needed his offense scoring, not just his offense playmaking.”

For Young, he just has one goal in mind.

“I'm literally just trying to go out there and win,” Young said. “Earlier on in the game obviously I'm trying to get my guys involved because I need them later on in the game when teams decide they want to trap and get the ball out of my hand.”

All season, the Hawks have continued to show fight and resiliency regardless of who is in the lineup, and they did it once again as several players stepped up and delivered.

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