Everything From Trae Young's Full Exit Interview After The Hawks Play-In Loss Against the Miami Heat

Trae Young spoke to the media today and discussed a wide range of topics at his exit interviews, and here is everything that he had to say.

1. How far removed is he from his emotions last night

"I mean, obviously, it's still not, still not easy. It's not still fresh. So, it's going to be a minute. Obviously, now we're in the off season and can focus on getting better. So, that's really what my mindset is right now."

2. Where does he see the team honing in on to take that next step to being a playoff contender

"There's a lot of things. I mean, you gotta get better in all areas. In your game, I mean, you handle your shots, everything. You just get more comfortable in your game and then be ready when you come back in the season and just be ready for the jump. So that's pretty much what it is. You use the off season to get better and then the season is where you show what you worked on."

3. How does he balance his expectations for the team, himself, and his joy and love for the game of basketball

"Yeah, that's a great question. I don't know, it's something - I'm constantly working on every day constantly trying to be good at we all, we all got different goals, we all got certain goals that we want to achieve and accomplish, but we play a team sport and we need each other and so with anything that we try to accomplish we need each other and so with good things it all takes time. So I feel like if this is something else, this is going to take time."

4. How does he prevent himself from becoming impatient with the results that he wants

"I think it's okay to be upset about it. I think it's okay to get upset. I don't think it's okay to be okay with losing. So, I mean, I'm upset about it. I'm not happy that I'm here talking to y'all at the end of the season right now. I wish it was later so of course, it's okay for it to be upsetting and things like that but you got to do something to change it that's all it is and for me I just want to win so that's all it is. It is upsetting."

5. Does he feel like he can still win in Atlanta

"Of course, of course, they're one of the 30 NBA teams. I feel like you can win here. Yeah, I mean I feel like I can win, I've won here before I haven't won a championship, I've achieved a lot of things here, so I know what it takes. I just, yeah, I definitely feel like I can win here."

6. How he feels about the young core and what they need to work on to take that next step

" I mean, we'll talk later on. I mean, it's still fresh. I feel like it's good now to get away from basketball a little bit, kind of refresh your mind. I always do first, for a second, right after the season and before I get back to training. So when I talk to them, that's what I'm going to tell them. Just get a little refresh, go back to Paris or Australia and enjoy some time with their family and have some fun. And then whenever they want to get back to work, then get back to work. And now Zach knows what to prepare for going into his second year and things like that. So it's going to be a better and exciting second year for him and and Dyson as well, getting some more experience this year he knows what to expect and it's gonna be an exciting next year for everybody and the young guys."

7. Will he be watching the playoffs

"Yeah for sure because I mean, whenever I'm in the playoffs, when I'm in the championship soon, they're gonna be watching me. So I have all types of love for all the guys in the league. So I'm gonna be watching tuning in for sure."

8. What it will take for him and the Hawks to get to a championship level

" I mean, it takes a lot. I mean, you gotta have some luck that gets on your side too. Every champion that's won has had some luck on their side and health and you gotta have, I mean, your team ready from day one. And I think we were there this year. I think we had, we had moments even with young guys I think we just we dealt with a lot of injuries this year and that's not an excuse but that's kind of what we had to deal with I mean and a lot of it happened in our front court and so we were very very small and playing against certain teams that had a lot of size and length we kind of struggled so I think next year just having guys back healthy and being ready for the jump is going to be a big, big, big part of our success and what we need to be successful next year."

9. How does he use this down season as a motivation for next year and achieve more success next year

" This is uh anytime you lose, anytime you're not where you feel like you should be, it should always motivate you and so for me like not being the playoffs and I know a lot of guys feel like we should have been in the playoffs no matter what we've been through this year that's motivation enough right there to be to be playing this time next year so that's why I'm not gonna stop watching games because this is part of it you know I'm saying you have to go through these and I live in OKC, and in LA, so there's some teams that's playing in those places that I live at, so I'm going to watch, but I mean next year hopefully we play in Atlanta and they watching me, so that's my motivation."

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