Quin Snyder: Trae Young has taken pride in how he defends

Brad Rowland: Jalen Johnson (right ankle sprain) is questionable for Saturday’s NBA Cup semifinal against the Bucks. Bogdan Bogdanovic (quad contusion) is probable. De’Andre Hunter (knee injury management) is probable. Trae Young (Achilles) is probable. Cody Zeller remains out. -via Bluesky / December 13, 2024

Hawks officials have been working with Young — who can be a bit of an introvert, teammates have noticed over his career — on his leadership and relationship-building skills. It’s still a work in progress, but Young is becoming better at it, team sources said, and it’s been one of the many positives for the Hawks this season. -via ESPN / December 13, 2024

Late last summer after the Olympics, Hawks star point guard Trae Young flew Daniels and Risacher out to his offseason home in Oklahoma for a multiday training and bonding session, sources said. It was greatly appreciated by the young new teammates and formed the foundation for building a relationship with two cornerstones of the future in Atlanta. -via ESPN / December 13, 2024

Snyder has actually been most impressed with Risacher’s defense. Defensively, Atlanta entered the week 3.4 points per possession better with the long defender on the floor, according to Cleaning the Glass. “We focus a lot on what a young player does offensively,” Snyder said. “But defensively, he’s been challenged trying to take multiple matchups. If you’re a wing in the NBA, those are the best players in the world that you’re looking at every night.” -via Andscape / December 11, 2024

“Zacch, they say has a really high ceiling,” Snyder said. “Growth isn’t linear. He’s had 31-point games, four-point games, I don’t even know. And honestly, that’s not to me what his developmental arc needs to look like. “He’s been a pleasure to coach; he’s a great teammate. The one thing people weren’t most aware of is his versatility on defense. He’s had to guard a lot of matchups. He guarded on the perimeter in the Eurocup and the French League, but we’ve asked him to do that in a lot of significant matchups. He’s risen to the occasion on that. I think he’s having a heck of a year and looking forward to continuing to see him grow.” -via Clutch Points / November 26, 2024

Hawks coach Quin Snyder talked about this topic and how it applied to Daniels before the season. It’s worked out almost exactly as he said then. “I think a lot of it is situational,” Snyder said. “Usually guys are more confident when they can anticipate that they’re going to have a shot. If you get the ball and then you want to decide, (in) that moment, your conscious mind takes you out of rhythm. Especially for younger guys, if they’re concerned about whether the ball is going to go in or not, that’s not the best thing. It’s more than a green light. It’s understanding situational shooting, knowing that it’s not only a green light but you have to take that shot. It’s important for you to shoot that whether you make or miss.” -via New York Times / November 15, 2024