ATLANTA — Trae Young finally has an All-Star for a backcourt partner. The Hawks traded for Dejounte Murray on Thursday. It’s a great pairing on paper. Whether it works in reality depends largely on Young. He’s met every challenge during his short career. This is a new one.
Young’s trust in letting his teammates run the offense has seemed to come and go over the years. Can’t knock him too much for that. No one is better with the ball than Young. Murray comes closest. Now Young has a teammate he should defer to more than occasionally. Will he do so?
Murray is a better defender than any guard who’s ever started alongside Young. But the Hawks have been a bad defensive team in each of Young’s four seasons. He’s a big reason for that. Murray’s defensive impact will be blunted if Young doesn’t do his part. Can he do that?
