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Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young spoke to reporters on Friday for the first time since the firing of former coach Nate McMillan on Tuesday. Despite rumors of a rocky relationship between Young and McMillan, Young expressed his respect and admiration for the former coach and stated that he had no input in the hiring of McMillan's replacement.
Young, who is preparing for his third full-time coach in five seasons, dismissed concerns about his ability to maintain long relationships with coaches, saying, "I’m not looking at the next coach who comes in here. I’m trying to win a championship, whatever it is, I’m just trying to win.”
Young, a two-time All-Star, is Atlanta's on-court leader as the starting point guard and top scorer with 26.7 points per game. He denied any issues with McMillan, saying, "There’s a lot of moments that people really don’t understand that me and him have had and that’s OK.”
Hawks general manager Landry Fields also defended Young, stating that speculation of conflicts with McMillan was unfair to the young player. Fields has already launched his search for McMillan's full-time replacement and has stated that former Utah coach Quin Snyder is a candidate.
Young has stated that he has no interest in providing input in the coaching search, saying, "I trust those guys up top." He believes that it's not his place to make such decisions and he is simply focused on winning games.
Despite the recent coaching change, Young remains committed to the team and his role as a leader on the court. He participated in Friday's practice and is expected to start in Friday night's game against Cleveland. The Hawks hope to make a late-season surge under interim coach Joe Prunty and secure a spot in the playoffs.