LAS VEGAS (AP) — Trae Young might be the NBA’s biggest enigma.

Young’s fans can point to numbers and say he is an elite player. His critics can point to numbers and say he is overrated. Both arguments are valid. For some, his cocky attitude is endearing. For others they are annoying.

There’s no denying that: He’s helping Atlanta write one of the surprise stories of the season. The Hawks are in the NBA Cup semifinals and play against Milwaukee on Saturday before the other semifinal between Oklahoma City and Houston. The title game is Tuesday night.

“When we talk about Trae, I like to use the word evolution,” Hawks coach Quin Snyder said. “And every player continues to develop. They just evolve in different ways. He was an important part of the development of our young people and managed to develop them further.”

The Hawks haven’t had many big moments in Young’s seven seasons. But he’s shown he’s ready to rise to the occasion: ousting New York in the 2021 playoffs, pushing the Knicks out of the quarterfinals of that tournament to get to Las Vegas — and now, Saturday, on national television another chance to play against the Bucks a chance to play for a trophy.

“I feel like this team has risen to this challenge every night since the beginning of the season,” Young said. “We never looked too far ahead. We just take it day by day. Even though we had some problems and bumps in the road early in the season and some people dropped out, we kept the process and focused on each day.”

Here’s part of the Pro Young argument: He’s averaging 21 points and 12 assists, something only Magic Johnson and Isiah Thomas have done over a full season, and he’s on track to lead the league for the first time Assist average to lead.

Here’s part of the anti-Young argument: Among the 220 players with at least 50 3-point attempts this season, he ranks 189th at 30.8%, and among the 248 players with at least 100 field goal attempts. He ranks 231st in attempts this season with 38.4%. .

Choose your side. They are both valid. But it’s clear that Young – who made no secret of the fact that he was upset about not being selected for the team that won gold for USA Basketball at the Paris Olympics last summer – is growing and maturing .

“He’s doing a better job on both ends of the court,” Bucks coach Doc Rivers said. “Defensively, he found a way to stay out of the game. I know that sounds simple. That’s hard to do, and he’s really brilliant at it. … He really has to study the game on both ends of the floor, and you can see that in his play. And he has gained the trust of his players. This team likes to play with him, that’s clear. I couldn’t tell before, but now they love playing with him.”

Hawks forward Jalen Johnson doesn’t dispute that point.

“He’s so good, man,” Johnson said. “It’s crazy just seeing it in person and on TV, before I played for the Hawks and got drafted by the Hawks, it was crazy just watching it. A guy who is undersized, capable of scoring at will, being able to make any pass at will. And the next thing you know, you’re his teammate and you’re the recipient of those passes.

“It is a pleasure to watch these exciting duels late in the game. It’s a very special gift he has, and not many people have had it at this elite level. It was great to be his teammate. It was a blessing.”

Saturday is an opportunity. The semifinals are the only games on the NBA calendar that day; Tuesday’s title game – which doesn’t count in the standings – is also the only game on the NBA schedule that night. Young will get a lot of attention on Saturday and would get a lot more attention on Tuesday if the Hawks find a way to win another big game against the Bucks. They are already 3-1 against Cleveland and Boston, the Eastern Conference leaders, and 1-0 against Milwaukee this season.

The potential for the Hawks is clear. The potential for Young was also always clear. Only now is it beginning to understand.

“The narrative about me not being able to do certain things or being too angry or frustrated about certain things is — I mean, it’s just not true,” Young said. “I think you can just see what a young team we have, just some of the different things we’ve done this year. I think you’re just starting to see it because of the results show and we’re now winning in the Final Four of the Cup, and that’s a big deal.”

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