A year ago, Hawks guard Trae Young made perfect sense as a third-team All-NBA selection. Young had taken another step forward in his fourth season in the league, averaging 28.4 points and 9.7 assists per game and helping Atlanta get back to the playoffs.
This year, however, voters weren’t so generous to Young. Despite averaging 26.2 points and 10.2 assists this season, Young was left off all three All-NBA teams.
Adding insult to injury, Young received just a solitary, third-team vote, tying Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton for 11th among guards.
Young took to Twitter to question voters’ reasoning.
“’They’ said I had ’empty stats,’” he wrote, followed by a string of emojis.
“They” said I had “empty stats” ..😂🥱😂
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) May 11, 2023
🤔
Young’s traditional numbers always have been among the flashiest elements of his game, dating back to his days at Oklahoma. He’s ranked in the top 15 in scoring each of the past four seasons, and the top five in assists per game every year of his NBA career.
However, Young has struggled to follow up on the magic of the Hawks’ surprise run to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals, as Atlanta has bowed out in the first round of the postseason in back to back years.
