Somebody guard Trae Young

A suggestion for the Bucks after analyzing Game 1 film

BY DAVID THORPE

Trae Young’s sublime bucket-getting and Hardenesque ability to draw free throws delivered him to the Eastern Conference finals with a 29-point playoff scoring average and a touch of swagger. His Hawks made it here after carving up some of the NBA’s best defenses—the Knicks and 76ers threw everything at him, and he torched them anyway. But for some reason, the Bucks treated him like any old point guard in Game 1.

He bludgeoned them for 48 points and 11 assists on 17-34 shooting from the field, 10-12 from the line and 4-13 from 3. If the Bucks don’t change some things on defense, they will go down in flames just as those first two elite defenses did. It’s that simple.