Kenny Smith has blunt advice for Trae Young after shocking All-Star snub: “Stop passing”
Upset Kenny Smith told Hawks Trae Young to reduce his efforts after the player got snubbed for the All-Star reserves.
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Kenny Smith advised Trae Young to stop passing after All-Star snub
The Atlanta Hawks Trae Young will miss the NBA All-Star game yet again. Fans were fuming for the snub but the reactions started coming as soon as the Eastern Conference reserves were announced. Like each year, TNT’s Inside the NBA panel declared the results. After the entire list was revealed other than Shaquille O’Neal, the rest of the three were quick to mention the absence of the Hawks guard. However, Kenny ‘The Jet’ Smith had some interesting advice.
Trae Young is certainly among the most talented players of the younger generation. But this year the Atlanta star has been special with his point guard duties. Young is leading the league in assists made for the 2024-25 season.
As this is a remarkable stat, the Inside the NBA panelists questioned his snub. After Charles Barkley praised Young’s ‘best season’, Ernie Johnson immediately pointed out the season-leader stat. Kenny Smith, to which, had a passive-aggressive response where he simply told Young to turn down his efforts. “Stop passing now. Don’t pass the ball no more,” Kenny Smith told Trae Young.
Smith gave the blunt solution to the 26-year-old as his hard work was not recognized by the Eastern Conference coaches. The panel discussed multiple names alongside Young who they believed deserved the selection. Tyrese Maxey and LaMelo Ball’s neglect was also surprising for the crew. But as snubs have become the yearly debate, Big Diesel accepted the list and even congratulated the first-timers.
"I'm a little surprised about the Trae Young thing" 👀
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 30, 2025
The Fellas react to the Eastern Conference #NBAAllStar Reserves ⭐️ pic.twitter.com/tIwB1S0Tdg
Shaq’s perspective is not wrong but the league has overlooked Young for a while. Despite three appearances, the star never got selected in back-to-back years. More importantly, the Atlanta player is playing one of his best seasons with a double-double average. Hence, naturally, Young was upset and took to Twitter to apologize to his fans for the disappointment.
Kenny Smith blamed Trae Young’s team for his All-Star snub
During a discussion about the MVP race, ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins put forward Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s impact on his team. The analyst stated SGA was above Nikola Jokic due to Oklahoma’s winning percentage. As claimed by Kenny Smith, the same approach was used to count out Trae Young for All-Star. Atlanta’s nine place in the Eastern Conference is a bump in the road for Young.
The coaches in the league selected the All-Star reserves after the votes from fans. According to Smith, for the coaching staff, winning is more valuable than personal accomplishments. Regardless of the 22.5 points and 11.4 assists per game, Young’s lack of influence on the team’s success is an issue. Smith completely supported ‘Ice Trae’ but explained the coaches’ perspective.
Statistically, he has the best stats. The reward from coaches come from, it’s a coach’s vote. It comes from winning… Do your stats impact winning?
Kenny Smith said
"Do your stats impact winning?" 👀
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 31, 2025
Kenny and the crew unpack why Trae Young didn't make the All-Star team 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/EmJxB8Uflu
Smith defended the guard’s numbers and also admitted the impact of Young’s stats in early games. The Jet is on the right lines, looking at the team’s record. However, Young was also an important part of the Hawks’ win over tough teams. The East team has brutally defeated the Boston Celtics as well as the New York Knicks. Many credits for those wins go to the team’s main man.
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Satvika Deshpande
(423 Articles Published)