Reshaping the lineup around Trae Young, can the Hawks replicate the Pacers counterattack path?

At first glance, you might think this team is very similar to the Indiana Pacers a year ago - the team that had reached the Finals all the way to the league.

But when you open your eyes wide, you will find that this is another Eastern powerhouse - the Atlanta Hawks. They also have the ambition to stand at the top of the league, but now they need to solve the problems that Pacers did not encounter at the beginning.

In the 2024-25 season, when Rick Carlisle's Pacers coached the defense was polished to a level of enough to be regarded as a real contender in the Eastern Conference, the team's core puzzle was already solid - point guard Teresa Halliburton, who is in the rising period, signed a five-year, $244.6 million contract extension in July 2023. He has transformed from a 2021 All-Star and All-Squad player a few months before the signing of his new contract.

And Trae Young - who can be said to be "Halliburton of the Hawks" - is in a different situation in the team. Trae Young, who will turn 27 on September 19 this year, is already a four-time All-Star. Like Halliburton, he won the assist king and was selected into the All-A-Level Three Team. The difference is that Trae Young has made more than $146 million in the first seven NBA seasons, but the Hawks have not given the next long contract in advance like the Pacers - the four-year, $222.4 million max renewal contract he just qualified to sign.

This controversial point surfaced last week, and Trae Young made remarks on social media about an NFL star's contract dispute, and the controversy was further amplified by media reports from various parties this week. Next season, Trae Young will have an annual salary of $45.9 million, and he will also have a player option worth $48.9 million in the 2026-27 season.

The situation is similar to Jimmy Butler's final season with the Heat, when he held a total of $100 million (including player options) for two years. Although Butler is 35 years old and has a reputation of attendance and inconsistent form during the regular season, he still renews his contract as he wishes after being traded to the Warriors and has increased his total revenue by $60 million before the 26-27 season.

Trey Young's situation is fundamentally different from Butler - he is 9 years younger and is entering the golden period of his career. Trae Young's Hawks are more focused on building a lineup around his technical characteristics than ever before, with the goal of achieving a common breakthrough between the core and the team.

Since the team moved from St. Louis to Atlanta in 1968, the Hawks have never won the championship or even reached the finals. In more than half a century, they have only been close to the finish line four times - the 1969 and 1970 division finals, and the 2015 and 2021 Eastern Conference Finals. As the core of the Hawks, Trae Young suffered a right ankle bone contusion in the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals and lost to the final champion Bucks.

That was Trae Young's third season, and it was also his second season in which he averaged 24 points and 9 assists per game. He has maintained this level for the past six seasons, second only to Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson (9 times). However, Trae Young is not efficient - his career shooting percentage is 43.3% (35.2% from three-point shooting percentage), and 4.2 turnovers per game - but his scoring and tandem ability make him always regarded as the league's top offensive core.

As for defense, it is obviously not his strength. Trae Young's body disadvantages and his investment in offense have caused the outside world to question his defense since the 2018 draft, and his career performance has also confirmed this. Luca Doncic, who was swapped with Trae Young on the night of the draft, was also criticized on the defensive end. However, when Doncic was just qualified to renew the contract, the Lakers sent a contract renewal and completed the signing. The Lakers regard Doncic as the team's future, and the Hawks have the same attitude towards Trae Young in most aspects, except for not giving up a contract renewal. Although the team currently has no historical superstars, the lineup configuration and talent are highly consistent with Trae Young's development plan.

Last season, the Hawks have shown exciting signs of rising. Backcourt partner Dyson Daniels jumped to become the fastest-progressive player and ranked second in the year's best defensive player. This amazing wingspan "stealing & blocking machine" showed extraordinary potential. Rookie Zachary Rissache served as the starter and ranked second in the year's Rookie under coach Snyder's coach.

forward player Jaylen Johnson averaged 18.9 points and 10 rebounds per game before the season was reimbursed, but the 23-year-old reimbursed the labrum of the left shoulder in January. At the same time, although center Oyeka Okonggu, who is 2.03 meters tall, is relatively small, but he starts 40 games and is very efficient on the offensive end, averaging 15 points and 10.1 rebounds per game (averages 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game when he comes to the bench).

This offseason, a series of operations by the Hawks management were also well received - the introduction of Christapus Porzingis, Nikil Alexander Walker and Luke Kennard not only fills the lineup loopholes and increases the depth of the bench, but the three-man game styles seem to have a good chemical reaction with Trae Young.

Recalling last season, the Hawks finished with a record of 13 wins and 9 losses and won the playoffs, but lost to the Magic and the Heat to miss the playoffs. Another highlight is that it won 3 wins and 1 loss in the NBA Cup group stage that started in November, and successfully obtained a ticket to the knockout stage for Las Vegas.

Taste the taste of success always makes people accumulate confidence, and this is how walkers are. They defeated the Bucks and Knicks in a row in the 23-24 season and then ushered in a real highlight last season - they fought with the Thunder in the finals until they fell until Halliburton's G7 suffered a tear in the Achilles tendon at the beginning, and they still had hope of winning the championship until Halliburton's G7 suffered a tear in the Achilles tendon at the beginning..

Now, with Halliburton confirming reimbursement for next season, Celtics star Tatum is also likely to be absent, and the Hawks believe they have a chance to rush into the top four in the Eastern Conference. It is worth noting that the Pacers successfully broke through a year of defensive reshaping, and the Hawks, the 18th-ranked defensive efficiency, still have a lot of room for improvement in this regard.

However, the most critical guarantee for the team's future is to have a tactical core and on-field leader, while enjoying the maximum financial stability. For the Atlanta Hawks, they need to keep this in mind.