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Trae Young Named As All-Star Replacement

February 10th, 2025 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Hawks guard Trae Young has been named an All-Star, according to the NBA. The league announced (via Twitter) that Young will replace injured Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Young, 26, has had a down shooting year, with a career-worst 40.9% mark from the field, including 34.0% from beyond the three-point line. However, he’s leading the league with 11.4 assists per game and contributing 23.5 points per night.

While a recent eight-game losing streak cost the Hawks a few spots in the Eastern Conference standings, the team is still slightly exceeding expectations this season. Atlanta currently holds the No. 9 seed in the East with a 25-28 record.

Young has played a major role in those 25 victories — the club has a +0.2 net rating when he’s on the court, compared to a team-worst -7.4 mark without him.

Word broke on Sunday that Antetokounmpo would remain sidelined through the All-Star break due to a mild calf strain, necessitating a replacement for this weekend in San Francisco. According to Chris Haynes (Twitter link), Young received the most votes from coaches among Eastern Conference players who didn’t make the initial list of reserves.

After he wasn’t initially named an All-Star, the Hawks guard reacted on Twitter by joking that getting “snubbed” was now known as getting “Traed.”

Antetokounmpo had been drafted onto Charles Barkley‘s roster for Sunday’s four-team event, so Young will take Giannis’ place on Team Chuck, helping to balance a roster heavy on big men. He’ll join Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as the guards on the eight-man squad.

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And-Ones: All-Star Snubs, WNBA, Clark, Europe, Canales

January 31st, 2025 at 10:38pm CST by Luke Adams

There weren’t enough backcourt spots to go around on this year’s All-Star teams, in the view of Marc J. Spears of Andscape, whose annual eight-man “All-Snub” team is made up of seven guards and one center.

Outside of big man Domantas Sabonis, the most glaring omissions from this year’s All-Star rosters were all guards, Spears writes, identifying Trae Young, LaMelo Ball, Zach LaVine, and Tyrese Maxey as four worthy All-Star candidates who didn’t make the cut in the Eastern Conference despite the fact that both Eastern wild card spots went to backcourt players.

Over in the West, Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, and Norman Powell joined Sabonis as the players most deserving of All-Star recognition who weren’t among the 12 Western players chosen to participate in the game, according to Spears.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the basketball world:

  • Several NBA team owners submitted bids for expansion WNBA franchises ahead of this week’s deadline. Vince Goodwill of Yahoo Sports says Pistons owner Tom Gores was among the owners to put in a bid, while Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter links) reports that the Sixers‘, Cavaliers‘, and Rockets‘ ownership groups also put forth formal bids. The new teams approved by the WNBA as a result of this round of bidding would begin play in 2028.
  • In other WNBA-related news, Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark has decided not to take part in a special three-point shooting challenge at the NBA’s All-Star weekend in February, per an ESPN report. There had been speculation that Clark could take part in a contest similar to last year’s Stephen Curry vs. Sabrina Ionescu shootout, but she wants to compete in her first three-point contest at the WNBA’s All-Star weekend in Indianapolis later this year, according to her representatives at Excel Sports.
  • If the NBA moves forward with its plan to launch a new professional league in Europe, what will it look like? ESPN’s Brian Windhorst has published an informative primer, while Donatas Urbonas of BasketNews has shared his latest reporting on the subject. Interestingly, Windhorst notes that commissioner Adam Silver and his top lieutenants are “deeply involved” in the European endeavor and wonders if the league’s focus on “NBA Europe” might further delay the timeline for expansion stateside.
  • Veteran NBA assistant and current Texas Legends associate head coach Kaleb Canales will be named head coach of the Calgary Surge in the Canadian Elite Basketball League, reports NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link). The CEBL season takes place during the NBA offseason, so Canales could rejoin an NBA staff for the 2025/26 season, Haynes notes.
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Southeast Notes: Hornets, Okogie, Harris, Wizards, Young

January 31st, 2025 at 3:58pm CST by Tristan Tucker

The Hornets are seeking “creative” answers to their rotation with star guard LaMelo Ball out with an ankle injury, according to The Charlotte Observer’s Alex Zietlow.

“It’s hard to make up Melo’s production,” head coach Charles Lee said. “With all that he does, and he does it in such a unique way, and he’s able to sustain it for an entire game, and create so much open space and opportunities for all our guys.”

Charlotte is currently ravaged by injuries, with Ball, Mark Williams, Josh Green and Brandon Miller due to various injuries, including a season-ending wrist issue for Miller. The shorthanded Hornets had a poor offensive showing on Wednesday against the Nets, with Taj Gibson, Vasilije Micic and recently acquired Josh Okogie each inserted into the starting lineup while two-way players Moussa Diabate, KJ Simpson and Isaiah Wong saw extended workloads.

The goal for Charlotte now is to keep its injured players engaged with the team, per Zietlow, and to continue developing some of their younger players.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets could theoretically look to flip Okogie at the trade deadline after acquiring him for Nick Richards, but he’s looked like a solid fit in Charlotte in his first six games. He discussed his first impressions of Charlotte with Grant Afseth of Sportskeeda. “This whole team has been good at bringing everybody in,” Okogie said. “From the outside looking in, I didn’t really know how close they were with each other, but this team jokes, laughs, and kind of does everything together so far since I’ve been here. They’ve all embraced me, and that’s made me feel comfortable already.” In his first six appearances with the Hornets, Okogie is averaging 10.3 points per game and shooting 42.9% from three.
  • After missing 13 games with a hamstring strain, Gary Harris made his return for the Magic‘s Wednesday game against Portland, as first reported by the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede (via Twitter). Harris played 13 minutes and scored three points.
  • Don’t be surprised if the Wizards go through the trade deadline with one or both of Jonas Valanciunas and Malcolm Brogdon still on the roster, The Washington Post’s Varun Shankar writes. The team could find more value in their leadership than in potential second round picks if offers aren’t to their liking — that was the case last season with Tyus Jones.
  • The team continues to mentor two-way center Tristan Vukcevic, Shankar writes in the same article. Coach Brian Keefe said a team could run its offense through Vukcevic, but the Wizards want to see him become more of a defensive anchor.
  • Hawks guard Trae Young ultimately wasn’t named an All-Star in the East despite averages of 22.5 points and 11.4 assists per game. He responded on Twitter on Thursday night. “[And] it’s no longer getting ‘snubbed’ it’s getting ‘Traed’ at this point,” Young wrote. “Sorry to my fans.. it’ll change eventually! All right, talk soon!“
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Southeast Notes: Okogie, Butler, Hawks, Bitadze

January 27th, 2025 at 1:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Since Phoenix acquired Nick Richards from Charlotte earlier this month, most of the focus has been on how the big man is helping the Suns. But the deal has also had a positive effect on the Hornets, according to Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer, who says veteran swingman Josh Okogie has been just what the team needs.

Okogie set new personal season highs with 16 points and 10 rebounds on Friday vs. Portland. He also has 11 steals in his first four games as a Hornet and has an eye-popping +28.0 net rating in his 83 minutes on the court. His impact has extended beyond his statistical output — the 26-year-old has earned praise from head coach Charles Lee for his vocal leadership.

“Love the impact that he’s given our team,” Lee said. “No. 1, he just has a great feel for the league, the game, what the game asks of you, the competitiveness. He’s already added a vocal element to our team, which I think we can definitely use. When you have a young team, and as much as I talk, they get tired of hearing me probably. So, it’s nice when their teammates speak up and have things to say.”

It’s possible the Hornets will look to flip Okogie, who is on a pseudo-expiring contract (his $7.75MM salary for next season is non-guaranteed), to a new team at next week’s deadline in order to expand their return from trading Richards. But Okogie has fit in nicely and sounds enthusiastic about the idea of finishing the season in Charlotte.

“It’s been fun,” he said. “It’s a good group with a lot of energy, plays free, plays loose and just likes to have fun. It’s kind of refreshing to go out there and just play as hard and that be what the coaches and the organization (are) trying to implement in the players.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

  • Within his latest trade rumor round-up at Substack, Marc Stein of The Stein Line lists the Hornets and Wizards as a couple more of the teams known to be interested in facilitating a trade involving Heat forward Jimmy Butler, alongside Toronto and Detroit, among others. While Phoenix has been the team most consistently identified as a suitor for Butler, rival teams are still wondering if the Bucks might get involved in the bidding, Stein adds.
  • Rookie forward Zaccharie Risacher, who has missed the Hawks‘ past six games due to a left adductor strain, has been upgraded to questionable for Monday’s contest in Minnesota, the team announced (via Twitter). Big man Larry Nance Jr. is also listed as questionable to suit up after returning to action on Saturday from a 12-game absence for right hand surgery. While Nance has returned to the court and Risacher appears to be on the verge of joining him, Atlanta will be without Trae Young, who has been ruled out for Monday’s contest due to right hamstring tightness (Twitter link via Brad Rowland of Locked on Hawks). De’Andre Hunter is listed as questionable too as he continues to deal with the illness that forced him to miss Saturday’s game.
  • Magic center Goga Bitadze has been out since January 12 but appears on the verge of clearing the NBA’s concussion protocol. He said he feels “good to go” for Monday’s game in Miami, as Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel relays (Twitter links). “Obviously, you know, it’s going to be probably be a little dusty. Is that how you say it? Or rusty?” Bitadze said. “… Well, it’s going to be dusty and rusty. We’re going to see. First game back. (I’m) really excited.”
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Southeast Notes: Okongwu, Young, Johnson, Poole, Smith Jr.

January 25th, 2025 at 10:41am CST by Tristan Tucker

In the three games leading up to his promotion to the starting lineup, Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu averaged 18.3 points and 15.7 rebounds. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, his call-up to the opening five was a reward for his strong play and an opportunity to see what he could do as a starter.

Okongwu is seen as part of Atlanta’s young core headlined by Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels and Zaccharie Risacher, who are all under the age of 23. The big man in the first year of a four-year, $61.98MM contract.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • The Hawks are establishing an identity this season as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. According to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, that’s been partially fueled by head coach Quin Snyder working with star guard Trae Young to adjust his place in the offense to be more synergetic with Johnson’s emergence as a play-maker. “We’ve been intentional about that. It’s not just kind of a dream,” Snyder said. “[Young] can’t do this by himself and he knows that. No player can frankly. So figuring out the ways he can be efficient has been the idea, and he’s been the one looking at that and thinking about it and making those plays.“
  • Johnson injured his shoulder on Thursday against the Raptors, leaving in the second and quarter and not returning. He’s listed as out for Saturday’s game against Toronto, according to the Hawks (Twitter link). Being without Johnson for an extended period of time would make life worse for Atlanta for obvious reasons, but they’re also facing a tough upcoming schedule, Lauren L. Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
  • Jordan Poole is averaging career highs in points per game (21.4), three-point percentage (39.9%) and assists per game (4.8) for the Wizards. In an interview with Sportskeeda’s Mark Medina, the former Warrior talked about his best individual season. “I definitely think that I’m an All-Star,” Poole said. “I play at an All-Star level. A lot of it can be political and situational. But performance-wise, I think that I’m an All-Star.“
  • Second-year guard Nick Smith Jr. might be earning himself an extended stay in the Hornets‘ starting lineup, Shane Connuck of The Charlotte Observer writes. Smith is earning more minutes due to Brandon Miller‘s season-ending injury. “[Smith] is more than a scorer,” coach Charles Lee said. “He’s a player. He’s a great play-maker, and we’re just seeing it.” The 27th pick in the 2023 draft is averaging 11.8 points in his last eight games (four starts) after registering 3.1 PPG in his first 15 outings.
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And-Ones: 2025, Balance, Expansion, Neto, MVP

January 2nd, 2025 at 7:13pm CST by Rory Maher

In an Insider-only story for ESPN.com, Tim Bontemps lists seven storylines people around the NBA will be monitoring in 2025. Due to their combination of young players, draft assets and a coach (Ime Udoka) that players want to play for, the Rockets are widely viewed as the team to watch the next time a star becomes available on the trade market.

“The whole landscape of the league,” an Eastern Conference scout said, “could change based off what they do.”

Although no one actually expects anything to change, since it would require certain teams to vote against their best interests, league sources tell Bontemps that the imbalance of power between the two conferences may see more calls for playoff seedings to be ranked 1-to-16 instead of the traditional format of 1-to-8 in each conference.

League insiders are also keeping a close eye on the Celtics‘ impending sale — specifically how much the team sells for — as a potential bellwether for expansion, according to Bontemps. The cities of Seattle and Las Vegas continue to be mentioned in league circles as possible expansion spots.

Here’s more from around the basketball world:

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Southeast Notes: Hunter, Young, Williams, Butler, Jaquez

December 21st, 2024 at 8:19am CST by Tristan Tucker

De’Andre Hunter is playing like a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, providing the Hawks with a scoring punch off the bench, Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Through 17 outings, Hunter’s 19.8 points per game and 45.3% shooting from beyond the arc are both career highs.

“He’s definitely in the running for Sixth Man of the Year, especially if you keep winning and doing the things we’ve been doing,” guard Trae Young said. “Because there’s not a guy come on the bench doing what he’s doing right now and being aggressive and scoring and efficiency and things like that. He’s really bought into it, and it’s made our team a lot better.”

The former No. 4 overall pick out of Virginia was an effective starter after being selected in 2019, averaging 14.3 PPG in 263 games (237 starts). After missing the first 11 games this year, the Hawks elected to bring him off the bench instead of starting him, and he’s thrived in the new role.

“We all know De’Andre can play,” center Onyeka Okongwu said. “He’s been able to play. He’s always been a scorer, defender. He’s finally healthy. Nothing he’s doing is really surprising to me. I’m glad he’s having the year he’s having right now. He deserves it the most.”

We have more from the Southeast Division:

  • Young is averaging career lows of 39.0% shooting from the field and 32.0% from three, but Williams writes in another story that the three-time All-Star is focused on making an all-around impact to win games rather than dwelling on his shooting percentages. “My percentages aren’t the way they’ve been, but I’m taking different types of shots, too,” Young said, noting that he has no qualms about taking low-percentage shots at the end of quarters or as the shot clock expires. “I’m obviously getting guys involved, and that’s my main priority, and obviously, the defense is the first priority.” As Williams notes, the Hawks star is leading the NBA in assists per game this season with 12.2 per contest.
  • Since their starting center returned from injury on Dec. 3, the Hornets continue to take a conservative approach with Mark Williams, including having him not play in back-to-backs. Williams understands the vision, but is eager to resume his normal playing schdule, Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer writes. “Just overall, as a leader of the team and one of the leaders of the organization, you have to understand what is your vision, what is your bigger picture? And as bad as you want to win games, we also want to make sure that we are putting our players in the best position possible to have great careers,” coach Charles Lee said of Williams.
  • Heat star Jimmy Butler exited in the first quarter of Friday’s game against the Thunder after turning his ankle and didn’t return. However, as noted by ESPN, he was ruled out for the rest of the night due to an illness, not his ankle injury. There was no word of the ankle in the team’s announcement. It’s not yet clear how much time Butler, involved in trade rumors this season, will miss due to either ailment.
  • With Butler ruled out, second-year Heat wing Jaime Jaquez Jr. started the second half and played 30 minutes, his third-most in a game this season. Ira Winderman of South Florida’s Sun Sentinel speculates whether Jaquez could serve as Butler’s replacement in the starting small forward role if the latter is moved via trade.
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Antetokounmpo Headlines All-Tournament Team For NBA Cup

December 19th, 2024 at 12:24pm CST by Rory Maher

The NBA announced the All-Tournament Team for the NBA Cup on Thursday, with Giannis Antetokounmpo headlining the five-player group (Twitter link). The Bucks superstar was named tournament MVP after Milwaukee defeated Oklahoma City in Tuesday’s final.

Here’s the full team, along with the amount of votes each player received (in parentheses) from a group of 20 media members:

All five players advanced to at least the semifinals of the league’s second in-season tournament. Antetokounmpo and Gilgeous-Alexander were unanimous selections, while Lillard fell one vote shy.

According to the full voting results, Thunder big man Isaiah Hartenstein (5), Magic forward Franz Wagner (5), Hawks forward Jalen Johnson (4) and Thunder forward Jalen Williams (3) narrowly missed out on making the team. Six other players received one vote apiece.

The voting for the team is based on each player’s performance over the entire NBA Cup, including group play and the knockout round games. The Bucks went undefeated (7-0) to claim the trophy.

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Hawks Notes: NBA Cup, Johnson, Young, Daniels

December 14th, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Arthur Hill

Poor shooting late in Saturday’s game ended the Hawks‘ surprising run to the NBA Cup semifinals, writes Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta had numerous chances in the fourth quarter with Milwaukee leading by a possession or two, but only managed to go 1-for-7 from the field in the final five minutes. The result was an eight-point loss that sends the Bucks to the finals, but coach Quin Snyder was happy with his team’s effort throughout the tournament.

“I think the story line for me is just how we compete, and that our consistency in that area is the most important thing that I think we have to do to continue to try to build an identity,” Snyder said. “And this was an opportunity this whole tournament, to play in some situations and some games against really good teams, and try to do that. And you find out about yourself. You find out when you’re in a game like this, you’re able to look back and say, we need to do this better. And we did this pretty well.”

Trae Young went on a scoring binge in the third quarter, posting 14 of his 35 points to make the game close. Despite the offensive heroics, Williams states that Young was most proud of his defense, as he repeatedly contested shots whenever Milwaukee tried to target him.

“The defensive end is going to get us where we really want to go, especially when where I want to go,” he said.

There’s more on the Hawks:

  • Jalen Johnson‘s on-court growth is obvious — as he’s followed last season’s breakout by putting up even better numbers — but he has become a team leader as well, Williams adds in a separate story. Even though Johnson is only 22 and in his fourth NBA season, he has become one of the longest-tenured players on the team and he’s willing to speak up in huddles and provide tips to younger teammates. “I think we’re all a pretty tight-knit group,” he said. “We’re all relatively around the same age. That kind of helps, especially locker room-wise and team chemistry-wise. I think we’re doing a great job of just holding each other accountable. Nobody’s afraid to say anything to each other. We’re all open to constructive criticism. That’s sometimes tough. Everybody has an ego in their own way. We’ve done a great job of just listening to one another, and I think that’s what’s going to help us win at the end of the day.”
  • Bucks head coach Doc Rivers sees improved chemistry in Atlanta, particularly involving Young, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN. The star guard has been accused throughout his career of being a poor teammate and a weak defender, but he seems to be outgrowing that reputation. “He’s earned the trust of his players,” Rivers said. “This team likes playing with him. That’s obvious. I couldn’t say that in the past, but now they love playing with him.”
  • Dyson Daniels had no idea he was a candidate to be traded when he got a message from Pelicans general manager Bryson Graham that he had been sent to Atlanta, Jake Fischer writes in a Substack column. Although Daniels was surprised by the news, which was delivered while he was in Australia preparing for the Summer Olympics, the move to the Hawks seemed to unlock his game, putting him in the conversation for Most Improved Player and Defensive Player of the Year. “I wasn’t happy with how I played my first two years in New Orleans,” he said. “I was playing tense. I wasn’t happy with how I was providing for the team. I was fueled by that. I wanted to get back to being myself and playing free.”
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Hawks Notes: Bogdanovic, Young, Risacher, Daniels, NBA Cup

December 13th, 2024 at 12:10pm CST by Rory Maher

While the Hawks are excited by their young core of Dyson Daniels, Jalen Johnson, Onyeka Okongwu and Zaccharie Risacher, they’re also willing to listen to trade offers for their veterans given their place in the standings, sources tell Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Insider link). Atlanta is currently 14-12, the No. 7 seed in the East, and in the play-in mix for the fourth consecutive season.

According to Bontemps, one player opposing teams are intrigued by is Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is in his fifth season with the Hawks. The 32-year-old Serbian will earn $17.3MM in 2024/25, followed by $16MM in ’25/26, with a $16MM team option for ’26/27.

Here’s more on the Hawks:

  • In the same subscriber-only story, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reports that star guard Trae Young hosted Daniels and Risacher for a “multiday training and bonding session” at his offseason home in Oklahoma after the Olympics concluded over the summer, which his younger teammates “greatly appreciated.” Young can be introverted at times, and the Hawks have been working with him to improve his leadership skills, according to Windhorst. The team has been encouraged by the advancements Young has made in that area, though Windhorst cautions it’s still a “work in progress.”
  • French wing Risacher says he’s thrilled he was drafted by Atlanta, he tells Marc J. Spears of Andscape. “The best thing about being the No. 1 pick was to be able to get into this franchise, the Atlanta Hawks,” Risacher said. “That is the best thing that could ever happen. Me in terms of basketball, I’m super super-grateful to be here in this organization.”
  • The Hawks are pleased with the strides Risacher has made during his rookie campaign, as Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal Constitution writes. “He’s the No. 1 pick for a reason,” Young said. “You’re not put in that position or blessed to be in that position if you haven’t been through a lot or seen a lot, or even capable of handling that type of stuff. And you can see that he’s just capable of handling a lot of the things that come his way. He’s taken every night serious the way he approaches the game. He’s been locked in, even though some nights the shots are not falling the way he expects or we expect them to, he still finds other ways to impact our team and help us. And that just shows how good of a player he is.”
  • Speaking to Tommy Alter on The Young Man and The Three podcast (YouTube link), Daniels says he’s happy he was traded by the Pelicans to the Hawks over the offseason, calling it a “fresh start.” “In New Orleans, I had so much built up in me mentally and physically. I was scared to do anything,” Daniels said, per HoopsHype. “But this year, I’m playing free. I’m being myself, going out there and making plays. I always knew I could do it—it was just about letting it out.”
  • The Hawks have been playing excellent basketball since they got to full strength, going 7-1 over their past eight games, with victories over Cleveland (twice), Boston and Milwaukee. As Chris Herring of ESPN notes, Atlanta’s latest win over the Knicks gave the Hawks a berth in the semifinals of the NBA Cup. Jared Weiss of The Athletic takes a look at how Atlanta has improved over the past few weeks, with Young and Johnson spearheading a balanced offensive attack.
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