βA guy that can put a 50-piece spicy on you at any given timeβ - Kendrick Perkins says Trae Young is the most disrespected superstar in the NBA
The NBA has revealed its Christmas Day schedule, and Trae Young's Atlanta Hawks are not on the program. Former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins has a problem with that, saying Young is being disrespected.
The 75th edition of the NBA on Christmas Day will feature five games, with ESPN or ABC televising each matchup. https://t.co/1wYrlMgFFb
The Christmas Day slate includes three Western Conference matchups and two in the East. There will be a replay of the Eastern Conference semifinals as the Milwaukee Bucks take on the Boston Celtics.
Joel Embiid, the 2021-22 scoring champion, will lead the Philadelphia 76ers against the New York Knicks at the mecca of basketball. Although the Hawks significantly boosted their roster with the Dejounte Murray acquisition, the league chose not to have them in the Christmas Day schedule.
On "NBA Today," Perkins voiced his displeasure with the decision. He believes Young has reached the level where he should be featured in Christmas Day games.
"The Atlanta Hawks and the Minnesota Timberwolves, and let me start with the Atlanta Hawks. When it comes down to Christmas Day games, not only do you want to see good or great teams, but you want to see great players.
"Trae Young is the most disrespected player in the NBA. When it comes down to a guy that is box office, that never disappoints you, a guy that can put up 50-piece spicy on you at by given time, a player that actually led the league in total points and total assists last year."
"Trae Young is the most disrespected player in the NBA."
β Kendrick Perkins
#NBATwitter #TrueToAtlanta https://t.co/zKY5KdWYWm
The analyst also sent out a tweet in the same regard. In doing so, he included the Minnesota Timberwolves' Anthony Edwards on the list of players who have been wrongly denied the holiday game.
We need to see Trae Young and Anthony Edwards on Christmas Day!!! I donβt understand for the life of me how the Hawks and Minnesota are not on the Christmas Day schedule. Donβt mind me tho and Carry the hell onβ¦
Trae Young led the Atlanta Hawks to the 2021 Eastern Conference final
The Hawks have a championship to their name, which came in 1958. Since then, the franchise has struggled to get back to the NBA Finals.
Although they enjoyed a decent spell in the mid-1960s, they failed to get past the conference finals. The 21st century has been a lot more disappointing for the Hawks, reaching the conference finals once before the 2020-21 season.
Nonetheless, led by Young, the young Hawks team stunned the NBA community. They reached the conference finals after recording victories against the Knicks and Sixers.
π₯Ά @TheTraeYoung is an artist with the rock in his hand! #NBAHandlesWeek https://t.co/Bztf0EzqYB
However, their season ended when they faced the Bucks in the conference finals. Although they put up a decent fight, it was not enough as the Bucks ended the series in Game 6.
Last season was disappointing as they failed to make it past the first round. They lost to the Miami Heat 4-1 to cap off an average campaign.
The Hawks will be looking to get back into the thick of things next season. While an NBA Finals appearance is a stretch, they could reach another conference finals.