A budding battle.
Dating back to his days with the Oklahoma Sooners, Trae Young has always embraced the villain mentality. He had every opponent in college basketball focused on containing him, yet the soon-to-be superstar could not be stopped.
Once Young arrived in the NBA in 2018, he formed new rivalries, building on the ones he faced in college. As he continued to dominate, these battles became suspenseful matchups fans worldwide looked forward to viewing.
Although Young has crushed the hopes and dreams of several teams, his most prominent rivalry coincidentally began in his first career battle with the New York Knicks. From this point forward, the Hawks’ franchise superstar marks his calendar for the Knicks each season, with plans of showing no mercy in competing for a win.
However, Young’s rookie showcase did not go as expected against the city of New York. Through four matchups, he averaged just 15 points and 8.5 assists, shooting 36.0% from the field and 16.6% from three.
As a sophomore, Young appeared to have found a rhythm as Atlanta’s first option. He was scoring the ball seamlessly, breaking ankles left and right, and assisting baskets off ridiculous passes fans had never seen.
Simultaneously, the tension between Young and the Knicks grew significantly. He recorded some of his best showcases against New York in 2019-20, averaging an absurd 44.0 points and 10.6 assists in three contests.
In the following season, Young continued to play some of his best basketball with the Knicks standing in front of him. He consistently knocked down clutch shots and caused havoc in Madison Square Garden.
The intense face-off grew beyond imagination once the Hawks were set to take on the Knicks in the first round of the 2021 postseason. Both sides were adamant on embarrassing one another on the world’s biggest stage.
In game one, Young drilled a game-winning floater to seal a 107-105 victory. He stamped a near triple-double with 32 points, ten assists, and seven rebounds.
Four games later, the Hawks advanced to the second round of the playoffs, ending the Knicks’ hopes of winning a championship. This rivalry had officially been cemented as one that would last until Young announced retirement.
Now, as a seven-year veteran, Young is still preventing the Knicks from reaching their destination.
Despite thousands of fans rooting against him, Young remained unfazed and eliminated the Knicks from the 2024 NBA Cup in Madison Square Garden. This is an extremely difficult act, especially under one of the largest arenas in the NBA.
Not only did he stamp 22 points, 11 assists, and five rebounds, but after securing a trip to Las Vegas, Young stood over the Knicks logo and celebrated by rolling an imaginary pair of dice.
At this point in his career, Young is no stranger to the Knicks spotlight. He has consistently proven himself no matter the circumstances and will continue to do so for as long as he can.
There is simply no denying Young’s excellence when facing New York.