Trae Young was a complete game-changer for the Atlanta Hawks.
Since trading with the Hawks on draft day, Young has quickly become the face of the franchise.
Young is a four-time All-Star and helped lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
Young has been underestimated because of how good he is in his career and the number he continues to hold back.
Over the years he has had a significant portion of his epic performance, especially against his biggest rival, the New York Knicks.
The Young and the Knicks have been involved in a fierce rivalry since the 2021 NBA playoffs.
The Hawks defeated the Knicks in five games in the first round. Since then, every time a young person visits Madison Square Garden, it is a sight.
Young spoke about his ongoing rivalry with the Knicks on the Club 520 podcast.
“I think what started out as a playoff series was 10 minutes in the first quarter and the whole crowd just started chanting.
“It’s cool. I didn’t grow up thinking I was going to be a New York villain, but that’s it. He said you’re just accepting it.
“When I walk around town, I get a lot of love, so even if I stand up at Dykeman, I don’t seem to be afraid of walking around town.
“There are people out there who show love. They say all this on camera, but for the most part, it’s a different way to do it. I don’t have much difficulty with their fans.”
Young averaged 25.6 points, 9.8 assists and 3.1 rebounds in 24 regular season games against the Knicks of his career.
Surprisingly, he’s only 7-17 against the Knicks in those games, but has a final laugh when important in the playoffs and owns a 4-1 postseason record against New York.
In that playoff series victory, Young torched the Knicks, averaging 29.2 points and 9.8 assists in firing 44.1% off the field in five games.
If Atlanta and New York meet again in the playoffs this season, it will be a must-see television to protect his villain persona against the Knicks.