All Hawks

ESPN Disrespects Trae Young in NBA Rankings

Atlanta Hawks fans are upset with ESPN predicting that Trae Young will be the 16th-best player in the 2022-23 NBA season.

Pat Benson

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports
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Trae Young begins every day with a four-word tweet, "Another Day, Another Opportunity." Like most maxims, Young's signature catchphrase could be applied to many different situations. Since the Atlanta Hawks were eliminated in the first round of the 2022 Eastern Conference Playoffs, the saying is geared toward proving naysayers wrong.

As if Young needed more fuel added to his fire, ESPN continues to release its predictions for the top players in the upcoming 2022-23 NBA season. Despite becoming the second player in NBA history to lead the league in total points and assists last season, Young was ranked 16th on ESPN's list.

Hawks fans were rightfully upset when hit with the surprising news. ESPN has not yet released the top ten, but we can already see players like Paul George (15), Damian Lillard (14), and Kawhi Leonard (12) are ranked ahead of Young. It's important to note that Young played more games than all three players combined last season.

Additionally, Young swamped the production of Karl-Anthony Towns (13) and James Harden (11), who also rank ahead of the All-NBA point guard. Of course, this list is a prediction for next season, not a referendum on last year. But barring something unforeseen, it seems strange to rank players well into their 30s over a budding superstar who just turned 24 years old this week.

In the article, ESPN did not have anything negative to say about Young. The author listed the Dec. 7 matchup against the New York Knicks in Madison Square Garden as the "one game to watch." Also, they share the belief that adding All-Star guard Dejounte Murray will only help Young and the Hawks as they look to improve upon last year's disappointing season.

Young is used to getting slighted by national media. It's a matter he often laughs at on Twitter. Luckily, Opening Night is less than one month away, and we will see who gets the last laugh. Stick with AllHawks.com for breaking news, highlights, and analysis.

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Pat Benson
PAT BENSON

Pat Benson covers the Atlanta Hawks for Sports Illustrated's All Hawks. He has covered the NBA for several years and is the author of "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)".

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