Trae Young may have appeared as a villain for the New York Knicks fans, but he was certainly a hero for the Atlanta Hawks. Though the Hawks deserved it, it was a surprise when he led the franchise to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Until then, the Hawks had somewhat lost their relevance and hadn’t stepped into the offseason for four years.

Young was the guardian angel who came to their rescue in last year’s offseason. To truly understand what helped mould his game this well, an interviewer asked him the perfect question. And fans finally got to know who Trae looked up to when growing up and what he imbibed from them.

Trae Young tried to grasp bits and pieces of all superstars

If it wasn’t for Trae’s ankle injury, it’s possible that the Phoenix Suns might have met them in the NBA finals instead of the Milwaukee Bucks. Although it seems far-fetched, bringing Trae and John Collins together was the best decision they ever made. Of course, the veterans that they surrounded these two youngsters with also made the perfect recipe.

It’s just been 3 years into the league, and Young is already drawing comparisons to great players like Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. In short, Trae does complete justice to his nickname ‘Ice Trae’. But where did the superstar point guard draw his inspiration from?

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In an interview with Trae, he responded to that question and said, “I think it’s more of just picking up from a lot of different players, for me. I grew up in OKC. I was able to have season tickets with my family and we were able to go to a lot of NBA games. So I was able to see a lot of my favorite players. Guys like Steve Nash, Chris Paul…”

“Earlier on, when I was a kid in middle school, high school, seeing Chauncey Billups. And as I got older, Steph came along. Being able to watch Steph. Tony Parker, the way he can finish around the rim. So, a little bits and pieces from everybody.”

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Can the Atlanta Hawks go deep in the postseason again?

Trae is definitely on his way to developing a prolific NBA career. So much that he might actually give Luka Doncic tough competition when it comes to those who will become the face of the franchise, in the years to come.

Moreover, Trae and Collins as a duo played out very well for Atlanta last season. So, there is no reason to think that will change in the upcoming season as well. And of course, the experience that they gathered en route to the ECF will also play a big role in their success in 2021-22.

Hence, other NBA teams might have to look out for the Hawks as well. There is no way that they can be ruled out as title contenders. One can expect another unexpected run from them.

WATCH: Magic Johnson Drops Truth Bombs On Trae Young In Animated Meeting