More than just an MSG villain: Is Trae Young is the best point guard in the Eastern Conference?

Trae Young put his name in lights during last season’s playoff run, taking the Atlanta Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, before they were bounced by the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks.

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While his performances against the Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers in the previous round solidified his standing as one of the league’s next great point guards, it was his performance at Madison Square Garden in the first round against the New York Knicks, that solidified him as one of the league’s great showmen.

Taking a bow at midcourt after draining a dagger 3-pointer, Young relished in the boos and vitriol from the ravenous Knicks home crowd, who banded together against a newfound MSG villain.

“I know where we are,” Young said. “I know it’s a bunch of shows around this city. And I know what they do when the show is over.”

Showman. 

Everything about Young’s game is that of an entertainer, drawing oohs and aahs from his long-range shooting, And-1 mixtape off-the-dribble moves and alley-oop passes that end in John Collins detonating at the rim.

Young has more than leaned into his new role as the villain of MSG as a budding rivalry brew between the Knicks and Hawks, that will take on an even bigger spotlight as the opening fixture of the 2021 Christmas Day slate. 

The Knicks, who have been a regular fixture on Christmas make their return after not playing since 2018, while the Hawks are back on the NBA’s marquee day for the first time since 1989 — nine years before Young was even born. 

Beyond just being the most hated man in New York City, Young has done more than embrace his role as a show-stopping player, he’s making a strong argument to being the best point guard in the Eastern Conference.

Through 29 games this season, Young is second only to Kevin Durant in scoring, averaging a career-high 27.0 points on career-best shooting numbers of 46.0 percent from the field and 37.7 percent from deep on 7.1 attempts per game. 

While his 9.3 assists per game are third in the league, behind only James Harden and Chris Paul, with his overall influence on the Hawks’ offense, nothing short of immense.

Young isn’t just performing at a high level for the Hawks, his numbers are putting him on a historic level. In December, Young became the first-ever Hawks player to record five consecutive games of 25+ points and 10+ assists. The last player to do so was Russell Westbrook in his MVP winning 2016-7 season, per Hawks PR.

In NBA history, there have only been 14 other instances of a player averaging at least 27.0 points and 9.0 assists over the course of an entire regular season, per StatHead, Young did it in just his second NBA season in 2019-20 and looks well on the way to do it again this go around. 

Oscar Robertson did it eight times between 1961-68, while Tiny Archibald is the only other player to do it more than once achieving the feat between 1971-73. The other three players on the list — Russell Westbrook (2016-17), who was named MVP that season after averaging a triple-double, and James Harden (2016-17) and LeBron James (2017-18) both finished second in MVP voting in their respective seasons.

The Hawks are on the outside of the East’s playoff picture, hovering around .500, keeping Young out of the MVP conversation for now. He earned an honorable mention in Sporting News’ recent MVP Ladder, placing him just outside the top five, but if the Hawks repeat last season’s second half of the season surge, don’t be surprised to hear Young’s name in the mix.  

A likely starter in the All-Star game in Cleveland in February, Young has separated himself from the pack of point guards in the Eastern Conference. Kyrie Irving and Ben Simmons are yet to play a game this season for the Nets and 76ers respectively, Kemba Walker has had his struggles in New York, while Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball and LaMelo Ball fall into the tier below. 

Young stands alone as the best point guard in the East right now and perhaps his only real competition around the league is Stephen Curry, Chris Paul and Luka Doncic. Ja Morant is quickly putting his name along with the league’s best point guards, but when you look across the landscape, there’s no denying Young has cemented himself as a top-five point guard and based on his numbers, a top-10 player isn’t that farfetched.

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