The Atlanta Hawks thought the solution for building a contender around Trae Young would be to surround him with as much size and athleticism as one could feasibly gather. That line of thinking was, and still is, easily defendable. They tried to protect their undersized point guard in the best way.
The problem for the Hawks is what the results have told them. Atlanta has a 13-10 record without Young in the lineup this season. They are a brutal 2-8 with the All-Star point guard suited up to play basketball.
Is that entirely indicative of the full story for the Hawks? It never is. There are always nuances these types of surface-level records can never truly capture. Even so, ESPN's Tim MacMahon has suggested Atlanta may have seen enough to finally give up on their franchise star.
MacMahon said, "The Hawks certainly are indicating that they're looking for the exit ramp with Trae Young. They did not make any attempt to get him signed to an extension. When that's the case with your face of the franchise, that's a pretty clear message that the end could be near."
Young's defensive limitations are eerily similar to Garland's in Cleveland
If you had to take a guess as to who has the worst defensive rating on the Hawks, going anything other than bullseye would be incredible. Young has registered a brutal mark of 126.2 in the category, comfortably clearing Kristaps Porzingis (117.1) for that dishonor.
The offensive production with Trae will always give him value to a team. For the Hawks, it does not appear that Young's strengths are outweighing his weaknesses at present.
There is a nervous gulp to be heard from the Cleveland Cavaliers when looking at the situation. Is Darius Garland cut from the same cloth?
Cleveland has been disappointing on the defensive end in 2025-26. They have been a middle of the pack defense and their lackluster perimeter play is a large part of that.
Garland, much like Young, holds the clear edge for the worst defensive rating on his team. The Cavs point guard has registered 120.1 on that end, outpacing De'Andre Hunter (117.2), who has also struggled.
The Cavaliers have a bit more reason to be patient with their small guard by comparison. 2024-25 also featured Garland as a weak link on defense, but his offensive contributions more than made up for it. The thought would be that a capable supporting cast does help hide the Cavs guard enough.
However, Garland needs to do his part as a ceiling raiser. The individual results have been better of late, but things remain far from perfect.
It may not be long until Young dons his first jersey that is not the Hawks' threads very soon. Garland may be further from facing that type of future. Unfortunately for him, it cannot be ruled out altogether.