Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young. (Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports)
Hawks star Trae Young did nothing to quiet the murmurings about his lack of maturity when he was ejected for throwing a basketball at a referee.
The Atlanta Hawks are in the middle of the Eastern Conference playoff race and hoping to make a push out of the play-in tournament. They won’t get very far if Trae Young ends up suspended.
The star guard put himself in danger of just that on Saturday when he chucked a basketball at referee Scott Wall. He was apparently frustrated after an offensive foul call and lashed out. He was promptly ejected.
Here’s how it went down:
Young received his 15th technical foul of the season. One more will result in an automatic suspension.
The guard should expect to hear from the NBA on this one. Luka Doncic just got fined $35,000 for gesturing at refs by rubbing his fingers together, implying a payoff. The fine for throwing a ball at a ref shouldn’t be any less.
Trae Young’s frustration with refs is getting him into trouble
This outburst from Young comes on the heels of a social media post from earlier this week calling for refs to be “held more accountable.” Young suggested the officials should face financial consequences or suspensions.
“They shouldn’t just get ‘we missed it’ passes,” he wrote on Instagram.
Getting ejected in the middle of a key game while your team fights for playoff positioning is bad enough. The fact that Young’s maturity and leadership has been the subject of concern already this season makes it even more of a problem.
A report dropped in early March suggesting that there is a “serious disconnect” between Young and his teammates. The Hawkes lockerroom was described as “ugly” and broken” because of Young’s failure to lead.
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