Coaching an NBA team has become a particularly tense job. While stars face criticism, it is often coaches that find their job at risk. In the last few months, we have seen a multitude of championship-winning coaches terminated from their positions. But, amongst the fans, there is a ton of sympathy for these coaches. As a result, certain players get a “coach-killer” label. Whether it be LeBron James or Kevin Durant, no star can escape the tag. However, the tag has also somehow found Atlanta’s Trae Young in just his 5th season in the league.

Since he became a member of the Hawks, the team has seen 2 coaching changes due to reported issues between the player and coach. But, Young sees it differently.

Trae Young disapproves of the coach-killer label

Since Young’s arrival, the Atlanta Hawks have become a more competitive team in the NBA. However, success hasn’t always been consistent. After a dream run through the playoffs in 2021, the following two seasons have yielded very little for Atlanta.

To address defensive concerns, the Hawks acquired ace two-way guard Dejounte Murray from the San Antonio Spurs for a hefty price. Yet, the team was soundly defeated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2023 playoffs.

As a result, the coaching scenario in Atlanta has been a whirlwind. While the defense was the problem under head coach Lloyd Pierce, a move for defensive specialist Nate McMillian was the solution. However, with the defense still remaining in the bottom third of the league, another move was in order. This time, it was former Utah Jazz head coach, Quinn Snyder. While the initial results have been positive, only time will tell what the future holds. Through all the turmoil, Trae Young believes the coach-killer narrative about him is unfair.

“It could be just cause of that one Knicks series and people look at me as a villain or somebody they can just…Throw hate on and throw certain names.” Trae later admitted that there was the occasional friction between him and the coaches, confirming Shaq’s suspicion, he said that was part of being a machine and not a genuine problem.

While Young points to the lack of championship success as the reason why the team is under a microscope, the same cannot be said for the many other coaches.

The open-door policy in NBA front offices

The coaching job has become one with a very short life expectancy. Since the playoffs started, 6 coaches have been fired. Astonishingly, 5 of them were recipients of a Coach of the Year award, and all 5 have at least been to an NBA Finals, if not won the title. Yet, such is the nature of the job that all of them find themselves now on the outside looking in.

This number does not include mid-season firings like with Nate McMillan. Neither does it include changes made over the 2022 offseason, as was the case for the Lakers and the Celtics.

Read More: 761 Days After Being Spit On by a Knicks Fan, Trae Young Finally Addresses the Infamous NBA Incident

While Trae Young faces outrageous labels, it is clear to see that the problem is far more deep-rooted than that and Trae is more of a victim than a propagator. If the challenge was a lack of approval, names like Monty Williams, Doc Rivers, and Nick Nurse would never join the fired coaches list.

While hating on players is cool, perhaps, it is time to realize that it isn’t always their fault. In the case of Trae Young, it certainly seems that way.

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