{"id":162097,"date":"2025-10-10T19:14:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-10T23:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=162097"},"modified":"2025-10-10T19:15:43","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T23:15:43","slug":"kristaps-porzingis-trae-young-unlocking-hawks-offense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/10\/10\/kristaps-porzingis-trae-young-unlocking-hawks-offense\/","title":{"rendered":"Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and Trae Young: Unlocking Atlanta\u2019s Offense"},"content":{"rendered":"

For years, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/a> and Trae Young<\/a> talk has surrounded the Atlanta Hawks as fans imagine what the two could do together. Young has shouldered the Hawks offensive load for years, facing collapsing defenses the moment he crosses halfcourt. Double teams, hedges, and packed paint have all been part of his nightly reality.<\/p>\n

As gifted as Young is as a scorer and playmaker, the lack of a true floor-spacing big has limited how far Atlanta\u2019s offense can go. That is where Porzi\u0146\u0123is enters the picture. His shooting and versatility could finally give Young the room to thrive.<\/p>\n

How Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is Can Elevate Hawks Hero Trae Young<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When healthy, Porzi\u0146\u0123is is one of the most skilled big men in basketball. At 7-foot-3, he can step out and shoot the 3 at an elite clip, forcing opposing centers to defend him beyond the arc. In fact, he has an even higher career 3-point percentage (36.6%) than Young (35.2%). Last season, the big man was particularly efficient, knocking down a career-high 41.2% of his 3s on 6.0 attempts per game.<\/p>\n

\n

KRISTAPS \u201cUNICORN\u201d PORZINGIS \ud83e\udd84 pic.twitter.com\/OlBGS1rRtH<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) July 7, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

That ability changes the geometry of the floor. For Young, who thrives on attacking downhill, that kind of spacing is invaluable. Imagine the dynamic: Young comes off a high screen from Porzi\u0146\u0123is. Instead of a wall of defenders, he is staring at open space. The defense must choose to stay attached to Porzi\u0146\u0123is or collapse on Young\u2019s drive.<\/p>\n

Either way, Atlanta wins.<\/p>\n

Unlocking Trae Young\u2019s Playmaking With Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Porzi\u0146\u0123is\u2019 gravity doesn’t just open lanes; it elevates Young\u2019s already exceptional playmaking ability<\/a>. With defenders pulled from the rim, he can make cleaner reads and find shooters in rhythm.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Oct 6, 2025; Houston, Texas, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In Boston, Porzi\u0146\u0123is proved he could thrive next to a dominant guard while keeping elite efficiency. In Atlanta, a Porzi\u0146\u0123is-Young duo could bring a lethal mix of pick and roll and pick-and-pop threats that few defenses can contain.<\/p>\n

The Last Word On Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is And Trae Young<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Young has built his career on creating offense regardless of circumstance. Pairing him with a stretch big like Porzi\u0146\u0123is could finally give him the structure to reach his full prime. A guard who manipulates defenses with precision. A big who punishes every mistake. Together, they could transform how Atlanta attacks.<\/p>\n

Now that the Hawks have landed Porzi\u0146\u0123is, a frontcourt talent who spaces the floor, protects the rim, and complements Young\u2019s brilliance, they might have the key to unlocking the next level of the Hawks\u2019 offense.<\/p>\n

\n

\u00a9 Troy Taormina-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For years, Kristaps Porzi\u0146\u0123is and Trae Young talk has surrounded the Atlanta Hawks as fans imagine what the two could do together. Young has shouldered the Hawks offensive load for years, facing collapsing defenses the moment he crosses halfcourt. Double teams, hedges, and packed paint have all been part of his nightly reality. As gifted […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5652,"featured_media":162261,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,1608,62,3],"tags":[138,1349],"class_list":["post-162097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hawks","category-basketball","category-nba","category-news","tag-kristaps-porzingis","tag-trae-young"],"modified_by":"Quenton S Albertie","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5652"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=162097"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162097\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":162267,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/162097\/revisions\/162267"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/162261"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=162097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=162097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=162097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}