Wizards Defeat Hawks 122-111. Trae Young Addresses Rule Changes

The Hawks fall to 3-2 on the season.

© Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

One of the pitfalls of an 82-game season is that sometimes teams don't get much time off. That was especially true for Atlanta Hawks as they arrived in the nation's capital early Thursday morning. Less than 24 hours after a comeback victory in New Orleans, the Hawks were chasing Bradley Beal and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope around screens. What resulted was a 122-111 loss.

It was by far the most points the Hawks have given up this season. They have been top-3 in defensive rating through four games. Despite a strong performance by John Collins, the Wizards were able to hold their own in the paint thanks to Montrezl Harrell. The 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year got the better of Capela tonight with 25 points and 13 rebounds.

Perhaps more critical than the travel schedule is the ongoing officiating issues surrounding Hawks. We all know the NBA nerfed the rules that got Trae Young to the foul line. Young has empathized with the referees on trying to learn the new rules on the fly. However, their implementation of the rules seems ham-fisted.

Young's free throw attempts are down dramatically from 8.7 last season to 4.8 so far this season. The team's free throw attempts went from top-three in the league to bottom-five. Tonight that trend continued. The Wizards shot 21 free throws to the Hawks 14. Young only got 3 free throws. 

The frustrating foul disparity coupled with some talkative Wizards players resulted in 6 technical foul calls tonight. Naturally, the Hawks received 4 of the technicals since that's the one type of foul referees are eager to give Young and the Hawks.

After the game, Coach McMillan refused to point fingers. "It wasn't the officiating beating us, it was our playing. To have five technicals, and I think two of them were from delay of games. But to have those sorts of technicals, that shouldn't happen in a game." However, McMillan's next comment was telling. "I think more of the frustration is coming with the offense and we're taking that to the defensive end of the floor. We got to correct that."

Young was still fired up when he took a seat at the post-game press conference. "I don't want to get fined too much but this is frustrating." He reiterated his understanding that it's tough for the officials. But he had to voice his opinion on this situation. 

"When guys are driving straight and guys get knocked off balance, it's still a foul. Whether it's their lower body or their hands to stop a defender - it's still a foul. There are a lot of things they took out that was necessary. Veering back and jumping into guys - that's different. There are certain things I agree with the rules changes.

But there are things that are still fouls and guys are going to get hurt. Especially a smaller guy like me who is going up against bigger and stronger defenders. They're using their body and their legs and their hands to stop me.

I know they're looking for guys getting knocked off balance, so if I'm going straight and I get my balance knocked off, that's a foul. Or if they slow down my speed, that's a foul. I know the rules so a ref can't come to me and tell me what happened and what didn't if I know exactly what they're looking for. So that's pretty much it."

It's important that Young spoke up and provided a voice for guards in the league. The interpretation of the rules changes has been inconsistent and unfair. The league has to figure this out soon.

The Wizards improve to 4-1, while the Hawks fall to 3-2 on the season. The Hawks are now on a plane from Washington D.C. to our country's first capital (that's a historical fact for you). That's right, the Philadelphia 76ers host the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday night - for the first time since Game 7 of last year's playoffs. Stay locked into AllHawks.com as we keep you updated on your Atlanta Hawks.

Hawks Stats Leaders

John Collins - 28 PTS, 12 REB

Cam Reddish - 20 PTS, 3 REB

Trae Young - 15 PTS, 13 AST

Bogdan Bogdanovic - 14 PTS, 6 REB

Wizards Stats Leaders

Bradley Beal - 27 PTS, 8 AST

Montrezl Harrell - 25 PTS, 13 REB

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - 21 PTS, 8 AST

Kyle Kuzma - 21 PTS, 8 AST

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