The Eastern Conference is a bloodbath.
Going into the season, I would have chuckled for a few seconds before asking if you were truly serious after making such an assertion. The surprises of the elite Pistons, scrappy Raptors, offensive masterminds in Miami, Tatum-less Celtics, and the (nearly) Embiid-less Sixers have shocked critics and opponents alike.
In fact, the East is so stacked with surprises that the favorites for the top seed in the conference is nearly out of the playoff picture (if the play-in didn't exist) today – the Cavaliers sit at a lackluster 18-16 at the 8 seed at present.
The Hawks were once deadlocked with the Cavs, Heat, Sixers, Magic, Celtics, and Raptors at the 3-9 seed race out East, separated by a mere game and a half from top to bottom. With Young's return on the horizon, it seemed like the Hawks were slated to break free, but if anything, the complete opposite has taken place.
Trae has proven to be redundant amidst Jalen Johnson's breakout
While there's plenty evidence backing the notion that Jalen Johnson is poised to become the Hawks' true "1A" option, the idea that Young's return would boost the team's productivity is not incredibly farfetched.
The Trae Young and Jalen Johnson minutes - when sharing the court together - is one story. How much value does a playmaker like Young truly add when Jalen Johnson has played at nothing short of an MVP level to start the year?
That being said, the non-Johnson minutes have been sluggish at best and break-a-mirror bad at worst on the offensive end for the Hawks. While Dyson Daniels is a crafty, unorthodox playmaker in his own right, a Daniels-led offense doesn't appear to ever have the hopes of being above league average.
Slot in Trae Young, and theoretically, Daniels can go back to what he does best when Johnson is on the bench - being an ancillary playmaker to Young's primary actions and wreak absolute havoc on the defensive end to create easy transition looks for the youthful, speedy Hawks.
Unfortunately, despite all of the offensive success that the Hawks have had recently with Trae back in the mix, their defensive struggles have truly been break-a-mirror awful. Without Young, the team boasted size and length around the perimeter, with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels stepping up beautifully.
With Young back, the Hawks are getting exposed due to lack of size at all positions. Not only is Young a small guard, but Okongwu - their only healthy center on the roster - is an incredibly undersized big. As a result, the Hawks interior defense has been exposed even more with Young on the floor to attack possession after possession.
Quin Snyder has to figure out the rotational struggles with Young back in the lineup fast - the Hawks have slipped all the way to the 10 seed, 5.5 games back of the 3 seed - not irrevocable, but certainly not ideal. Time is ticking for the Hawks.