Hawks guard Trae Young downplayed his reported spat with coach Nate McMillan when speaking to reporters Monday for the first time since The Athletic first broke the news of a heated exchange over the weekend. However, the media session began to grow tense as a member of the press pushed the two-time All-Star for clarity on the matter.
Young was not present at Friday’s game against the Nuggets, a decision that Shams Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic reported was a conscious decision by the Atlanta point guard after a disagreement with McMillan during the afternoon shootaround. McMillan reportedly did not approve of Young’s plan to skip shootaround to focus on treatment for his right shoulder and provided his star with two options: Young could either play off the bench or not show up to the arena.
The 24-year-old reportedly chose the latter the Hawks ruled him out of the game with right shoulder soreness. When asked about Young’s absence on Sunday, McMillan told reporters that the point guard did not play on Friday due to a “miscommunication.”
