Hawks' Trae Young makes huge playoff proclamation heading into 2024-25 campaign
10/01/2024 09:47 AM
The Atlanta Hawks fell short of making the playoffs last season, losing to the Chicago Bulls in the play-in tournament. This season, the team has some new talent, but the goal remains the same, especially for Trae Young. On Media Day, the Hawks’ point guard was asked what his goals were for the season, and there should be no surprise to what he said.
"My goal every year is to win. I don't play basketball just to play; my goal is to win,” Young said. “Every night I step out there, I feel like we can win. I want to be better than we were last year. We weren't in the playoffs, we need to be back in the playoffs this year. Regardless of how anybody looks at our team, I feel like we need to be there. It's my job to do everything I can to be ready and also lift my teammates up as much as I can to make sure we're all ready each and every night."
Young has led the Hawks to the playoffs three straight seasons before missing it last season, but he also had the first serious injury of his career that kept him sidelined for an extended period of time. If Young and the rest of the team can stay healthy, they have a good chance of getting back to the playoffs.
The Hawks are ready for the new season
With a new few pieces to the roster, the Hawks look primed to make some noise this season. During Media Day, the Hawks players talked about some of the new additions on the team that included Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher. Daniels was a part of the Dejounte Murray trade, and he’s known for his defense, something that the Hawks needed to improve on from last season.
Risacher, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, should have a big impact on the team in his rookie season, and Young will set him up for success. In all, the Hawks have added more length and shooting around Young, and that should bode well for him and how far the team goes this year.
There’s no doubt that the Eastern Conference has gotten stronger over the past few months, and the Hawks plan to be right in the middle. Making the playoffs isn’t a stretch for this team, and they may surprise a few people this season.
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