The Atlanta Hawks have gotten off to a solid, yet unspectacular start to the 2022-23 season, sitting at 13-10 through a quarter of the season, good for fourth in the East currently, but with just a game separating Atlanta and Toronto for the 8th seed.
Given the all-in move made to trade three first-round picks for Dejounte Murray, Atlanta has high hopes for this squad, but there seems to be a gap between them and the very top contenders in the East that still exists. The Hawks have struggled with shooting so far this year, and while Bogdan Bogdanovic getting back healthy is a considerable help, the expectation is that more moves are on the horizon. There is also some lingering tension between Trae Young and head coach Nate McMillan that isn’t necessarily helping the vibes around the Hawks so far, with a report on Sunday indicating a disagreement between the two on Friday led to the All-Star guard not attending Atlanta’s win over the Nuggets.
According to Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic, Young and McMillan had a tense exchange prior to shootaround as Young got treatment on his shoulder.
While Young was receiving treatment on his right shoulder, sources say McMillan asked him whether he would participate in shootaround, receive treatment during walk-through and play in the game against the Nuggets. But Young made it clear that he wanted to focus solely on his treatment while missing shootaround and deciding later in the day whether he would play.
That approach, however, was not McMillan approved. Since the face of the Hawks’ franchise was deciding not to take part in shootaround, McMillan ultimately presented him with two options for that night’s game, sources said: Play off the bench — or do not show up to the arena. Young responded by saying he would not be playing against the Nuggets, and the team ruled him out while citing right shoulder soreness.
That is, per the report, not the first time the two have butted heads, and Amick and Charania note the Hawks have had “multiple” team meetings this season to resolve various disputes that have arisen in the locker room overall. It’s certainly not an ideal situation for a team with lofty aspirations to be dealing with internal turmoil, particularly considering how the last time tensions between Young and a coach ended in the firing of Lloyd Pierce.
While the report indicates McMillan is not on the hot seat in Atlanta, it will be worth monitoring how the Hawks’ season progresses and how Young and the rest of the team respond to McMillan. With John Collins back on the trade block (but also on the shelf with an ankle injury), it doesn’t seem like things are simply going to go away in terms of off-court distractions any time soon, and Atlanta’s going to have to navigate that until a deal materializes to alter this roster.