The Atlanta Hawks Are Better Without Trae Young — And The Numbers Prove It

NBA Analysis · March 21, 2026

By HooperClass  ·  March 21, 2026  ·  8 min read  ·  NBA

On January 7, 2026, the Atlanta Hawks did something that felt impossible just a year earlier: they traded Trae Young — their franchise player, their four-time All-Star, the most exciting offensive talent they’d had since Dominique Wilkins — to the Washington Wizards for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. Nobody expected what happened next.

The Hawks went on a 10-game winning streak. The longest active streak in the entire NBA. One of only four double-digit winning streaks in the league all season. And suddenly, a team that everyone had written off is very much alive in the Eastern Conference playoff race.

The Numbers That Tell the Real Story

Before the trade, Atlanta was 2-8 with Trae Young in the lineup this season. Their defensive rating with Young on the court? A catastrophic 126 — which would have ranked worst in the entire league by a massive margin. Without him, that number dropped to 112, good for eighth in the NBA. The same roster. The same coach. Completely different results.

Since trading Young, the Hawks are 19-10. They’ve climbed to 24-26 overall and sit ninth in the Eastern Conference, firmly in the Play-In picture. They now rank sixth in the league in pace, playing a faster, more fluid, more egalitarian style of basketball that suits their young core perfectly.

Jalen Johnson: The Star Atlanta Didn’t Know They Had

The biggest winner in all of this is Jalen Johnson. The 23-year-old forward has emerged as the unquestioned leader of this new-look Hawks team, and he’s proving that he’s capable of being a true franchise cornerstone. With the ball no longer revolving exclusively around Trae Young’s brilliance, Johnson has had the space to show everything he can do — as a scorer, a playmaker, a rebounder, and a leader.

General Manager Onsi Saleh has made it clear: this is Jalen Johnson’s team now. And the early returns suggest Atlanta made exactly the right call. Johnson recently set a new Hawks franchise record in a loss to the Pacers — which tells you everything about how far his game has come.

The New Supporting Cast

The Hawks didn’t just trade Trae Young — they built a completely different roster around him over the past two years. And now that Young is gone, the pieces they assembled are finally clicking together:

• ▸Dyson Daniels — Defensive ace signed to a 4-year, $162M deal. One of the best perimeter defenders in the league.
• ▸Nickeil Alexander-Walker — Also signed to a 4-year deal. Two-way contributor giving Atlanta backcourt depth.
• ▸Zaccharie Risacher — The 2024 #1 overall pick, growing into a legitimate offensive weapon.
• ▸CJ McCollum — The veteran shooter acquired in the Trae trade, providing stability and shooting.
• ▸Jonathan Kuminga — Acquired at the deadline from Golden State, adding physicality and athleticism to the frontcourt.

A Word of Caution: The Schedule Matters

Here’s the honest caveat that needs to be said. Five of Atlanta’s 10 wins during their winning streak came against tanking teams — the Wizards, Nets, and Mavericks. Two more came against the Bucks without Giannis. The collective winning percentage of the opposition during that stretch was .363. That’s not a murderer’s row.

The real Atlanta Hawks will be revealed in April, when the Play-In tournament arrives and opponents have real stakes. Against teams above .500, Atlanta is just 18-24 this season. That’s the number that needs to improve. But for now, the trajectory is undeniably positive — and the identity is clear.

What’s Next for Atlanta

The Hawks enter the final stretch of the season with serious assets in hand. They control a potentially high lottery pick from either Milwaukee or New Orleans — a true golden ticket in a draft that features generational prospects. They have cap flexibility. They have youth. And they have a coach in Quin Snyder who has clearly figured out how to get the best out of this group.

The temptation will be to swing for a superstar — Anthony Davis and Giannis Antetokounmpo have both been linked to Atlanta in trade rumors. But the smart money says the Hawks should resist that temptation, let this young core develop, and build something sustainable around Jalen Johnson.

For the first time in years, the Atlanta Hawks have a plan. And for the first time in years, they look like they’re actually executing it. The Trae Young era was exciting, emotional, and ultimately limiting. What comes next might be something better. 🏀