Trae Young’s ability as an offensive engine means that the Hawks are built around him. He is their lead playmaker and arguably their best volume shooter. There are very few players that are capable of averaging the 25+ points and 10 assists Young has put up for each of the last two seasons. However, what happens when he hits the bench?
More often than not, the Hawks’ offense takes a colossal dip. Now, things were a little better in 2023-24. The presence of Dejounte Murray meant that the Hawks’ offense still had a point guard to run things and provide a scoring presence. It’s part of the reason why Young’s on-off splits were not as dramatic as they have been in years past. Both his box plus-minus of 2.6 and value above replacement player (VORP) of 2.2 were at relative lows compared to his usual numbers.
However, the Hawks’ swings in offensive rating bears out the difference. With Young on the court, the Hawks had an offensive rating of 121.4. That’s slightly below the league-leading 122.1 that the Celtics posted last season. Without him on the court, their offensive rating fell to a mediocre 115.1 mark. Some dip should be expected when the star player hits the bench, but the Hawks will now not be able to rely on Murray to take over as the main option in Young’s absence. Therefore, this difference could be even wider in 2024-25…