Trae Young Says Hawks Don't Get Respect They Deserve: 'No One Is Mentioning Us'

The Atlanta Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season and took the eventual champion Milwaukee Bucks to six games, but All-Star guard Trae Young doesn't believe the Hawks are getting enough recognition.

"I don't think we get the respect we deserve. I watch a lot of TV. I see people mentioning all of the acquisitions everyone is getting. No one is mentioning us," Young said Thursday, per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.

He added: "The Milwaukee-Brooklyn game, they mentioned how they were in the Eastern Finals. It was just mind-blowing."

Young also told Kirschner in a recent interview that he isn't content with how the 2020-21 season ended, and neither are his teammates. 

"I'm not satisfied. I know my teammates aren't satisfied," Young said. "We're very happy and humble to do what we have done and to achieve what we have achieved so far, but that's only making it to the conference finals. That's not the end goal for anybody. For us, we're not satisfied. We want more."

Young's comments are similar to what John Collins told Kirschner in an interview earlier this month. The 24-year-old said he feels the Hawks are "real contenders" this season, even in a loaded Eastern Conference.

Young was one of the main reasons why the Hawks reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season. He averaged 28.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists in 16 playoff games. Those numbers are better than what he averaged during the 2020-21 regular season. 

There's no reason to believe Young and the Hawks won't make another deep run in the playoffs. Most of the roster returns from the 2020-21 campaign, including Young, Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De'Andre Hunter and Clint Capela.

In addition, the Hawks should get solid contributions off the bench from Delon Wright, Lou Williams, Kevin Huerter and Gorgui Dieng, among others. The emergence of 2019 10th overall pick Cam Reddish will be critical for Atlanta too. 

Even if the Hawks don't win the NBA title this season, they have a bright future. Young is locked in on a five-year, $207 million rookie max extension, and Collins agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal in August. 

The Hawks' quest for a title begins Thursday when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks at State Farm Arena to open the 2021-22 season.