Report: Trae Young skipped game after argument with coach
Trae Young had to choose between coming off the bench and not playing. He decided to sit out.
According to a report from The Athletic, Young got treatment on his shoulder instead of going through the Hawks' shootaround. Because he didn't practice, Hawks coach Nate McMillan said Young would have to come off the bench that night, or stay home entirely. Young decided to skip the game.
Originally, McMillan said it was a "miscommunication" that led to Young sitting out, and he was officially designated as out with shoulder soreness. Miscommunication does seem to be a constant issue with Atlanta, as the Hawks have reportedly "held multiple team meetings early this season to resolve various conflicts."
McMillan was originally hired in March of 2021, after Lloyd Pierce was fired due to a "strained" relationship with Young. Now it appears that McMillan's relationship with Young has also gotten rocky. The difference now is that Pierce was in the final year of his contract in 2021. McMillan is signed through 2025. And when Pierce got the axe, the Hawks were 14-20. This year, they're 13-10, sitting in 4th place.
Of course, Young is also locked up long-term, playing this season in the first year of his five-year max contract extension. He and McMillan have to learn how to co-exist better, because fair or not, Young might develop a reputation as a "coach killer" if he clashes with every coach he has.
For his part, Young thinks the situation was overblown.
Unfortunately for him, Young has a very public job. It's all televised, including the game he skipped because he argued with his boss. And while Atlanta took it slow in Young's first two seasons, the expectations are higher after the Hawks went to the conference finals in 2021 and brought in All-Star Dejounte Murray in the offseason.
13-10 is fine, and Young is still adjusting to sharing the backcourt with Murray. Young is averaging 27.8 points, 11th in the league, but shooting only 41.1 percent. That's the lowest percentage of any of the top 35 scorers. He's still a star, and still an offensive force, but Young needs to step it up on the court if he's going to fight with his coach. And that starts with actually taking the court.
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