Atlanta Hawks star point guard Trae Young knows that as a high-profile player, he will always be a target of criticism. But one label he’s seemingly taken exception to is the term ‘selfish.
In a recent interview with Taylor Rooks of Bleacher Report, Young said that being called “selfish” is one that gets under his skin the most. The former Oklahoma Sooners guard also revealed that he’s called out coaches before for even saying that word (h/t HoopsHype).
“I think the one thing that just makes me the most mad is just the word ‘selfish. I mean, I’ve gotten into it with previous coaches just from even just saying it in certain group meetings. And even if they weren’t interpreting it with me, I would bring it up to him after and be like, ‘We got to use a different word. Just because selfish is just one thing that doesn’t run in any part of my body. And just ever since I was a kid like I’ve always just wanted to do things for others and just impact winning.”
Is Atlanta Hawks Guard Trae Young Selfish?

There isn’t one way for a player to be selfish. Perhaps, people brand Young as such because of the volume of shots he normally takes. So far in the 2023-24 NBA regular season, Young is in the top 15 in the league with nearly 20 field goal attempts per game However, launching shots isn’t the only thing Young does a lot on offense.
In fact, Young is second in the NBA with 10.8 assists per game. A lot of the Atlanta Hawks’ offense revolves around Young, who was acquired by Atlanta via a draft-day trade with the Dallas Mavericks back in 2018.
Trae Young Sidelined By Upper-Body Injury

Young can’t help the Hawks at the moment, though, as he is sidelined by a finger injury that needed surgery to get repaired. He is expected to miss several weeks. That doesn’t sound very good for the Hawks, who are sitting precariously on the No. 10 spot in the Eastern Conference standings.