Trae Young Talks Hawks Picking No. 1 in NBA Draft, His Offseason Focus | From the Point, Ep. 12

Trae Young Talks Hawks Picking No. 1 in NBA Draft, His Offseason Focus | From the Point, Ep. 12

what’s up everybody it’s Trey here another episode of from the point by your favorite Point presented by Sprite obey your thirst and I’m here today joined by my good friend used to work with the Hawks uh now she’s leveled up with Turner and uh left us but uh we still miss her she’s a friend of of mine and uh help me with today’s episode Lauren jaar appreciate you being here thank you thanks for having me Trey honestly I was when you asked I was so excited because I feel like the two seasons I spent with the team it was so much fun just telling your stories telling the team stories and I’m still in Atlanta I still watch you guys for you yeah but I did leave it’s so sad but um I feel like one of my favorite memories of covering you was last year game five against Boston first round of the playoffs less than two seconds left I’m like oh my God is he going to pull up he pulls up drains it from the parking lot yeah what do you remember about that moment oh oh that was a fun fun game I know that was one of my favorite moments in the playoffs and even playing basketball so I mean I can I can see why I was one of your favorites I mean that’s a loud Arena to play in so getting a gamewinner in general was crazy but yeah to get in a playoff game and a go win or go home situation like it was a crazy moment for sure that was fun I know it was so much fun and I also want to say too like one of my favorite parts of my job is being able to like become friends with you guys and tell your stories and it’s just like so cool to you know have that connection because I feel like a lot of the time the fans don’t get to see the human side of you like they see the stats they see you play but it’s like cool being able to tell the stories about you becoming a dad and like I remember one time we were back in Oklahoma City and your dad showed me where your season tickets were growing up and I was able to like do a hit during the game sitting in those seats I’m like this is where Trey watched the guys you know play and this is like what inspired him so but that’s what’s crazy a lot of people don’t understand how I mean often we’re around each other like around the reporters especially our our team reporters who’s with us a shooter rounds on the planes like they’re they travel with us like I mean we may run run into y’all at a breakfast uh time or two like and then so y’all really get to know us like from a personal side so it’s really cool like you said like that’s why you’re here with me I ain’t about to let nobody just come on here and be a host my my pod so I appreciate you too yeah thank you and okay I want to get into obviously it’s been a minute since the last time you did a podcast it’s been almost two months at this point too been long but it’s been the off season what have you been up to so far like what are some defining moments over the last month or so yeah I mean for me like I mean this offseason uh has been been too long for me uh but I mean I got to to do a lot of spending time with family um was in Oklahoma for a lot longer than I I usually am I usually spend a lot of my my summertime here in La training um and I got out here a little bit later than I usually do just because I wanted to spend a little bit more time this summer um with my family and going back to West Texas around Amarillo and Pampa Texas a small town around there and spend some some time with my grandparents and things like that cuz hopefully around this time I mean around the time I was doing that I’d be still playing next year so yeah I wanted to get a lot of that in this year and then my son’s birthday going to to Dallas and spend great with Lage with that I was able to do that and so now I’m back out here in La training I’ve been out here for a couple weeks now but been able to spend a lot of a lot of time with family this this offseason yeah Titus just turned two and that’s so funny when you said Great Wolf Lodge like I Used to Vacation at Great Wolf Lodge too as a as a kid like how was that how was your birthday it was fun it was the best time so like when when I was a kid we’ve I I probably went like nine years eight eight or nine years straight uh on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and so um we’ drive down to Dallas and it’d be snowing and yeah uh we we’d spend mornings like you said it’s a water park in the hotel so you’re going and swimming around while it’s snowing outside and then I was watching NBA games throughout the day so I just remembered great with flowers being a crazy experience for me so be able to do it with my son was was really fun yeah Andy’s two now which is so crazy I can’t believe time has flown by your daughter’s already six months old it’s just crazy no it’s time time flies by especially when you having fun yeah I know and I we have to give a quick shout out to Oklahoma because the women’s softball team won their fourth straight I saw you were uh out there for a little while too yeah I went to a game I definitely went to a game anytime I’m in Oklahoma and I can see oh you softball game now I got to go like I went the last two years and I mean they’re there’re something they’re something special like they they don’t they don’t lose so it was fun I had to go yeah speaking of something special it’s pretty crazy because the Hawks had a 3% chance this year to get the number one overall pick and somehow they ended up getting the number one overall pick this is the first podcast since that’s happened the draft is this week just what were your first initial thoughts when you saw that the Hawks Landry was going up on stage to do a little speech and the Hawks got the number one overall pick I mean of course I mean it’s it’s it’s crazy of course we get it this year um I mean as bad as we were fighting to get into the the playoffs and we were all pushing and we just came up a little short of course that was kind of the luck that happened and we were in the lottery and then like you said a 3% chance to to get the number one pick and we end up getting it I mean it’s a it’s a crazy feeling like as a player that’s the thing like it’s it’s multiple lenses that you have to look through I mean as a man there’s a certain a certain way to look at it but then as someone in like my position is it’s kind of different like you don’t always want to get the number one pick that means you’re not really in the playoffs obviously that means you’re in the lottery so as a player you don’t really I mean you weren’t excited to be in the lottery but then you get the the number one pick and I mean things change not only for yourself but also for the team and the the city and new excitement comes around so it’s it’s pretty cool and this is the first year that they’re actually doing the draft over two days which is going to be really fun where do you plan on watching it are you going to be here in La you’re going to be in Texas I’m going to be here I’m GNA be here in La I mean I’m training now so I’m just focused on just getting ready for next year so um I mean I’m wherever that’s going to be I’m just focused on that and uh I’m but I’m going watch the draft I’m going watch it and uh I’m going watch it probably at the house with my family or whatever and have some friends over we’ll just watch it and speaking of the draft it’s crazy because it’s been six years since you were draft raed like again time flies when you’re having fun but like let’s rewind 6 years ago what do you remember about sitting in that room hearing your name called what stands out to you the most I think the the anxiousness that I had like yeah I knew I was going to get drafted but like you still want to go high you still want to go to the right team and I mean I worked out for like five or six teams and on one on0 sessions and things like that but I didn’t know like where I was going to go on that day and I was I mean even the night before watching ES PN and you see the the mock draft and they had me at 12 like somewhere I think I was going to the Clippers or something and like I I didn’t know what to what to believe you know what I’m saying and all the teams I worked out for were were ahead of that and and so I just was just anxious and so when I sat down at the table and was just waiting one by one to hear everything call I think I remember Omar tapped me on my back the most after the third pick it was like like you going to Atlanta like after the they made that pick with Luca they he told me that they were going to make that Swap and I think I just remember just the anxiousness of just that night you just you know you’re gonna get drafted you just don’t know where but the anxiousness of knowing where is the the exciting yeah exciting part about it and as a fan I feel like we’re all sitting there we’re watching from TV obviously some fans can go and watch in person but as a player you’re sitting there like what are some things that maybe we can’t see as a fan like take me inside an NBA draft things that like maybe are behind the scenes BT give us a little BTS action um I think I think what’s really cool about it is like the the commercial breaks whenever it’s the commercial and at home you’re seeing the different commercials going on but in the in the building it’s just quiet and people are talking with each other you’re talking with your families you may be on your phone for a second but you see the screen in there it says whoever’s on the clock and however much time is on the clock and it’s just no cameras on you know when the T is is on so it’s I think that’s the cool part about it is like you kind of see the behind the scenes of whenever the commercial goes on people are kind of talking and and asking questions or just trying to figure out information here and there looking on their phones and then as soon as the TV comes on you’re just you’re locked into the commissioner or locked into the stage that is so crazy honestly and it’s cool because like we only get so much of a of a view of it but you get you know that whole view being there I guess if you could look back six years ago now you’ve had six years in the league technically this will be seven drafts to go after this draft is done what advice would you give to 2018 Trey young before the draft or that you would give the guys going into the draft this year um I think I think it’s not necessarily I mean the advice I would give not only myself but just to the new draf e coming in is I mean it’s not all about I mean where you go I mean or how high you go it’s more about where you go and to focus on what you what you need to do when you get there um I think that’s the main thing that us as players and us as competitors we like we forget like we want to go as we want to go number one we want to go as high as we can but at the end of the day like you want to go to the right fit because you can get be a higher draft pick and and be on the not so right team or right right fit and I mean your career be shortened just because of that and I think I think that’s the main thing I would just focus on if you’re if you get dropped or you fall to a place that may be better a better fit for you you got to look at it like that it’s going to help you in the long run and um not to be down on yourself or not focus on your peer who you were ranked higher than in high school that got drafted higher than you or this or that you just got to focus on on yourself and making sure you’re ready whenever summer league comes and then the next thing yeah I feel like as soon as you start I mean they say comparison is the thief of Joy right like so as soon as you start comparing yourself you’re focusing more on other people and taking the emphasis off of like what you can control so I love that and speaking of right fit let’s talk about your draft fit because you were the what was it like a suit shorts or tuck shorts what would you call them yeah it would it would be just I mean shorts suits suit short tongue twister short suits short suits I like it what went into what went into that outfit Choice it was just it was just trying to be different like my whole motto going into the draft is just just trying to be different like I was going to be that going into the league and then I was going to continue to be that throughout the league and no one had ever worn shorts to the draft and that was around the time guys were wearing that to the finals and yeah uh I think Golden State guys were wearing it to the the finals and stuff like that and even the Cavs so I was like people wearing in the finals why ain’t nobody ever worn it in to the draft so just wanted to be the first to do it hopefully maybe somebody does it this year I like it trenet do you feel like you got enough credit for for setting a trend like that at the draft um I’ll get my credit later on down the road when the more the more people start doing it I’m looking at all you draft y’all need to get out there and start wearing wearing some shorts but nah the more guys people start wearing it then you can start calling me that that so I’m trying to set the trend though for sure I like it I really do would you do it again if you were drafted again this year would you wear shorts again yeah okay I would I would I ain’t gonna switch it up okay I ain’t gonna swi I’m here for it I’m here for it let’s get into the 2018 draft class because I feel like right now you look at who was drafted with you guys it’s you SGA jiren Jackson Jaylen Brunson um I mean you guys have all had so much success in this league like would you say that that’s maybe one of the top draft classes so far in the history of the NBA like would you compare it to the 1996 draft the 2003 draft yeah I mean I mean we got we’ve had some really good players I mean I don’t know I mean if you’re talking about just point guards and I mean we got a lot of really good guards if you think about guards in general I mean maybe that that could be a conversation I mean uh players I mean we have a deep roster when it comes to that too but we we’re all pretty young in our careers and we got a long ways to go but I mean with some of the accolades certain guys have I mean I mean we definitely have a great chance to becoming one of the best classes ever yeah ever be Maz for sure the goat point guard draft we could call it what do you think uh I don’t mind that I don’t mind that we got a chance we got a chance like I know it all comes with time though right fory sure for sure we got some some guys I mean like you said Luca Shay Jaylen I mean I mean we got a lot of guys uh got some talent and I mean only time we tell to see see who’s the best ever though I know okay speaking of the best ever that’s what the Celtics were this year and this is the first time that you’ve had a podcast since the Celtics won it all I just have to ask like what did you think about the finals what did you think about what Boston was able to do this year and I mean they I to be honest like I knew the way the roster was set I mean before the season Addam Drew and Christ stops I mean as much as certain people wanted to get on TV and act like that wasn’t that was something that was going to be hard to mess with like I mean I knew they were going to be a tough team like they’re they got some older vets that really that’s their main focus is winning whenever you have a team that’s solely focused on winning a championship and just winning then you can do stuff like this you can you can win a championship and it seemed like it’d be easy you know what I’m saying and I feel like that’s just what they did they all focused on just winning a championship even from Jason and Jaylen talking about the MVP and stuff like it was all just about winning and whenever you add Drew holiday and Kristof who hasn’t had much success at all in the playoffs but we all know he’s a really good player and he knows I know he knows that if he just wins the championship and everybody’s going to give him his flowers and that’s just that’s just what he what he did and that’s you could tell about how they played throughout the whole season that it I mean and it paid off yeah and we have to give shout out to Al Horford too because he’s played in like some of the most postseason games and hasn’t won and he finally got his ring I was telling my friend Chase I’m trying to get I’m trying to give give him on the Al Horford uh train and trying to show Al Horford a little bit more love he was he wouldn’t giv him this credit so I I think when Al Horford leaves I mean the St that’s going to make them a I mean a he’s a big piece of their team you know what I’m saying so I mean that’s a big big piece when he leaves yeah is Al Horford a Hall of Famer in your opinion I mean sorry tough questions that’s a that’s a very tough question I mean he’s gonna he’s going to be for a debate I mean it’s like him and Blake Griffin are kind of like in the same kind of debate like I mean the only difference now is Al has a ring and I mean I think you you can it doesn’t matter what option he was was but I think it’s going to be a debate he has a definitely has a case Drew holiday is for sure though yeah it is really crazy he’s a five-time NBA Allstar but you want to know what else is crazy is Jaylen Brown posts on Instagram that he lost his ring during the parade and if anyone finds it how you how did that happen how did he he must have been like celebrating too hard and fell off or something it wasn’t like fitted for his hand yet yeah cuz how does how do you get your ring stolen during the parade like during the parade it’s crazy he was probably celebrating too hard yeah we hope he gets it back let’s take a like a scope out for a second and look at the 2024 NBA playoffs as a whole was there any big surprises to you or what did you think overall east west of the NBA Playoffs um I don’t think there was any like big surprises I mean I think it hurt like the Outlook of the East with everybody being injured I mean I think Joel had a point whenever he talked about the East being injured I think the East will be a lot better next year um with guys being healthy and and back to it but Boston obviously is returning probably everybody so they’re going to be good but I think on the west it wasn’t surprising to me to see ant do what he did like every time I see ant especially in previous like this last year and I just just want him to to turn up in the playoffs and I knew it only took him after the the playoff run they had last year and it being short like he was going to come back this year yeah and dominate especially the way he did so really surprised me besides them maybe beating Denver um but I knew an was going to have a have have a playoffs he was so much fun to watch I mean it was incredible when you look at the East I mean I look at a team like the Knicks too and even looking into next year some of the teams that are favored to win you know the championship the Knicks aren’t even up there in the top eight right now and I feel like maybe they deserve a little bit more credit for the pieces that they’ve added and how injured they were throughout the playoffs this year they definitely do I think they definitely deserve a lot more credit than they they’ve gotten I mean if you look at it the teams that made Moves this year I mean all made I mean a big run in the playoffs or made it to the playoffs and did something like with Pascal going to Indiana I mean OG going to New York I mean Dallas that’s what I’m saying Dallas making those big those big trades with PJ and Gafford like those those are big trades and I think those are big momentums momentum swings for those those franchises and uh so I think like you said in the East even with Indiana I think they’re they’re going to be a lot better next year with the the Run they had this year I know they’re going to be more motivated to to get back and they want to get that feeling again so it’s going to be it’s going to be a tough year next year yeah who do you feel like next year looking ahead is going to be the biggest threat for you guys the Atlanta Hawks in the East um obviously it’s got to be Boston I mean Boston’s going to be up there again with probably everybody I mean they’re probably going to be the best team in the league coming out to begin with looked at in a lot of people’s eyes so um I mean they’re in the East so we got to everybody’s got to go through them and I know you said maybe it was back in March or April that if Boston wins the championship Tatum has a really good shot of being a front runner for the MVP next season do you still feel like that yeah I mean that’s when I talked to Jay I mean I was hurt like that’s I mean when we talked about stuff like this like he knew what he needed to do and I mean he just went out there and did it he didn’t care about getting the regular season MVP he wanted to win a a championship and um I’m happy for him he went out there and did it he knew this was his best team that he’s had and had to take advantage of it because you never know what next year brings so he did a a great job taking advantage of it and then now after you have this looking forward like people are going to probably give him more credit and yeah feel bad for the way they they did them this year so they going they going to show him some more love I think he even said that in like a postgame interview he’s like you know it’s just nice everyone was talking about us all season to just kind of like close people’s mouths and let our play do the talking right that’s that’s the best part about being a champion all the all the stuff that they say all the stuff that they doubt about you like you you can’t say that now you can throw it back in their face so that’s what he’s doing I know and it’s crazy because now after the draft is done this week it’s kind of like the dog days of summer so so on TV for real yeah there’s literally nothing on TV but there are a couple things we have summer league coming up right are you going to Summer League this year definitely I go every year yeah I know what was one of your favorite Memories Back in 2018 you played in four games in summer league what do you I know that was so long ago six years ago it was but it I mean it feels like yesterday like I just never forget I’ll never forget summer league just from my first shots being air balls to everybody doubting and saying certain things like and then everything can just switch like it’s just the thing about summer league is that’s the the first place that people start the the quick narratives about you or the quick um judgments about a player and certain things and certain things that don’t necessarily the front office and people that really make that really matter um when it comes to the player and his success They Don’t Really they look at it and it matters to the to them but summer league is just one part of um the step and stone to get into the league and and what you need to do so it’s a it’s crazy time for sure well you know us as media we all like to make assumptions right away we all like to have a story you know live live in the moment everybody lik live in a moment when you when you’re looking forward to now 2024 summer league who are you most looking forward to to going to see are you going the first weekend or when are you going to go yeah yeah I’ll probably go the first weekend and just go and and see uh see a lot of the young guys I don’t know there’s this this this draft class is going to be I mean not a lot of people are looking at as like a lot of high major Talent Superstar players but there’s going to be a lot of there’s going to be some guys that surprise people like that happens in every draft and I’m looking forward to seeing who does that like I mean nobody really knows who it’s going to be but I think that’s the exciting part about going out there just seeing who really just makes a name for themselves and surprises a lot of people I know it’ll be fun too and it’s also like just nice to see everyone like all the player I feel like after you guys have like a month off or a month of just training on your own at home like it’s nice to all kind of come back together say hey your own ways yeah everybody back together and that’s like like you said that’s that’s one time like everybody in basketball feels like is in one city and uh it’s it’s always fun going there yeah and another thing this summer The Paris Olympics the 2024 Paris Olympics I’ll be out at the Olympics not covering basketball though Trey I’m covering a new sport this year maybe you can come and uh try to qualify for it break dancing wow is that kind of cool that is crazy that’s a sport yeah it’s a it’s brand new this year in the Olympics break dancing that’s crazy n I’m not going to be break dancing but that’s that’ll be fun I know I feel like you and Clint capella have the moves though right no Clint does Clint may be out there he may be doing it but no not me not you I know it’s going to be fun though to watch but um I’m excited to you know just see like USA compete again for for the USA team basketball team who do you feel like is going to be their biggest competition what country I mean it’s going to be it’s going to be fun I don’t I don’t know they should win it shouldn’t even be a competition um especially ad and Joel like shouldn’t be a competition but I mean I ain’t going to go against my uh besides USA my my Serbian brother uh bogy um so I hope he does well uh but that’s I mean besides besides him I mean yeah they they they got a good chance but nobody should really beat beat USA for sure yeah I know Boi will be rooting for you but USA we still want you yeah we want to come home with the gold we want we need the gold we need the gold um in a little more serious note I know obviously NBA lost a legend Jerry West passed away I know you tweeted out that you were able to speak to him and have some meetings with him is there anything that stands out or any conversations that you had with him that stand out to you is is some favorite moments oh I mean I I was able to meet with him a couple times but I remember like our the the main meeting he was serious in is um when I was in Chicago for my uh pre-draft and I was out there for the combine and we were working out for or we I was out there for meetings and stuff and um it was like we I sat down in the room I came in the hotel room and table and it was just like four people but obviously I was just focused on Jerry West and like that’s the logo right there and I was um I didn’t know he’s going to be as serious like when they were talking about like how serious he is and how he is like his manner he he really loves basketball and like he just in that meeting I just remember how serious he was and just talking about just talking about my game and everything he knew a lot about me and it was it was really cool to just know just know the logo so that was I mean it was just showing love but I mean that was crazy being able to know who he was yeah I know and I know a lot of teams you know paid tribute to him in in losing his life and obviously he’s going to be missed greatly but Hall of Famer 14 time Allstar NBA champion NBA Finals MVP I mean just what did he mean to the sport of basketball I mean he meant I mean obviously a lot I mean being the face and the logo yeah uh that that holds a lot of weight and so to be able to to say you were that it was got to be an honor and um for me like he’s a point guard so like to be able to to know him and be able to have met him and him being the icon he was for the game and being a PG like it was really cool to be able to to say I met him and and had some conversations with him yeah that’s really awesome he’s one of those guys that control he did control what he can control and you saw the success that he had in the league I know you say that a lot about your own game now getting into more of the off season you’re controlling what you can control what is the workout plan what has it all looked like for you over the last like month six weeks or so oh I mean like uh now I’m I’m starting to get my hand back I mean my last couple games and then even the playing game my my hand wasn’t 100% so now continuing to make sure my hand is is back to 100% um going into next season is my main focus Point uh and it’s it’s it’s really good right now and then but I’m lifting every day uh staying in the weight room eating making sure I get uh get bigger and stuff like that and that’s my main focus I mean it’s making sure I’m ready condition wise going into next year and I’m just I’m ready to start playing for real yeah how is the hand feeling is it feeling like I know you said at like those last couple of games you wanted to be out there with your team but it wasn’t 100% obviously yeah yeah I mean it’s it’s a lot better now like if we started playing today I wouldn’t have that big old brace on the back of my hand but uh I mean it’s it’s a lot better I’m doing still doing my rehab stuff and um I was I was kind of off the off the court for a little bit to allow myself to rehab and so uh and that’s allowed me to to get a little stronger a little bigger but I’m able to to now just do a little bit more with my hand so it’s getting better that’s great and I also saw you working out in the sand dunes like it’s hard enough to walk in sand oh yeah that’s the thing the yearly thing is it yeah okay that’s the yearly thing since pre-draft like every Saturday I work out from I work out Mondays through Fridays and then on Saturdays that’s the only thing I do I can’t do anything else after that like I have to just go sandunes have the rest of the day off and the rest of the weekend off so yeah but yeah that’s what I I do on my Saturday S I know I’m like I can’t even walk horizontally on a beach let alone run up a sand tune absolutely not that is that takes a different type of conditioning other than bball what does the rest of the offseason look like for you do you got any fun things planned um no I mean really just just waiting um I mean for this draft and then continuing and just get ready for it I mean I don’t have nothing really planned um get ready for summer league and see my teammates and just kind of get ready for the next steps and so I’m just just focused on that and uh not looking too far ahead I’m staying in the moment right now yeah stay in the moment enjoy the 2024 summer and thank you for having me on the this is so fun no appreciate you trayon calls them here here for the podcast thanks to our presenting sponsor Sprite got to get that obey your thirst I’ll practice that yeah I’ll practice that there we go Trey young Lauren javara there we go another episode from the point by your favorite Point till next time [Music]

Hawks All-Star Trae Young recaps how he’s spent his offseason so far, shares his thoughts on Atlanta having the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft, recalls his favorite memories from his draft night, gives advice to this year’s draft prospects and stands by his 2018 draft night fit. He also discusses where the 2018 draft class ranks among the best ever, reacts to the Celtics winning the NBA Finals, gives his biggest takeaways from the 2024 playoffs, explains why Jayson Tatum should be the MVP front runner heading into next season, remembers the great Jerry West, and details how he’s preparing for the 2025 season in new episode of From the Point by Trae Young.

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