Shaquille O'Neill generally doesn't give much praise to his juniors. As a former league superstar, O'Neal likes to give advice to the league's young players. But every once in a while, he also gives some love to these young players, and the player who has recently received praise from O'Neal is Trae Young.
This season, Trae Young's situation is very strange. Last season, he led the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals. But this season, the Hawks' performance has regressed. Although his personal performance is still very good, he is still underestimated by many people. But as the playoffs roll in, fans will find Trae Young special enough.
In the Eastern Conference play-offs, Trae Young led the Hawks to eliminate the Cavaliers and successfully obtained the last playoff ticket in the East. In this game, Trae Young scored 32 points at halftime, almost single-handedly knocking over the Cavaliers. His performance led O'Neal to say in Inside the NBA that Trae Young was his second favorite player in the league.
"I like the way Trae Young plays," O'Neal began. "I don't know how far the Hawks can go, but I just love the way they play. He's my second favorite player because I love him living for these moments. ”
Trae Young has averaged more than 28 points and nine assists per game this season, which is a remarkable achievement, but the Hawks failed to achieve a higher ranking in the Eastern Conference standings, leaving him with little praise and accolades during the regular season.
A lot of things in the NBA can be quickly reversed, and playoff success is the easiest way to do it. With the first round of the series on the horizon, the Hawks will play against the very good Miami Heat. If Trae Young can continue to play as he used to, it could be an interesting series for the team.