The Whiteboard: 5 insane stats from Trae Young’s 48-point Eastern Conference Finals debut
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Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks just won’t stop surprising people. Despite being the road team in all three of their playoff series so far, despite being viewed as underdogs almost every time and despite missing a key piece in De’Andre Hunter, these Hawks are on a mission to take the NBA world by surprise.
Game 1 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals was no different, only this time, it featured the best performance of Young’s blossoming postseason career. Finishing his night with 48 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds on 17-of-34 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 shooting from the free-throw ling, Ice Trae was magnificent.
The fact that he did it against Jrue Holiday and a stout Milwaukee Bucks defense at the age of 22 wasn’t even the most eye-opening part of the night, however. After such an unforgettable performance to deliver Atlanta a 116-113 victory to open up the conference finals, it’s only right that we take a look at five remarkable stats from his incredible game.
1. 40-plus points and 10-plus assists
With his 48 points and 11 assists at only 22 years old, Young became the youngest player in NBA history to record at least 40 points and at least 10 assists in a conference finals or division finals playoff game.
2. 72 points created
In Game 1, the Hawks All-Star scored or assisted on a whopping 72 of his team’s 116 points. Those 72 points scored or assisted on were the most all-time in a conference or division finals playoff game, per ESPN Stats & Info.
3. 48 points in conference finals debut
According to Stat Muse, Trae Young’s 48 points were the most scored by any player in their conference finals debut in NBA playoff history. The next-closest conference final debuts? Amar’e Stoudemire with 41 points, followed by Kevin Durant and Devin Booker with 40 points.
4. Fourth-most points in the conference finals
Once again, those 48 points stand the test of time. Trae Young’s Game 1 outing against Milwaukee tied him with LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki for the fourth-most points ever scored in a conference finals game. By anyone. Regardless of age.
The only scoring outings ahead of Young in a conference finals game were LeBron (49 points), Dirk (50 points) and Michael Jordan (54 points). What’s more impressive is Young is the only 22-year-old on that list.
5. 45-plus points and 10-plus assists
Maybe we’re barely adjusting the parameters here, but Young becoming the first NBA player to ever drop 45-plus points and 10-plus assists in a conference finals game is simply remarkable.
And if those stats weren’t enough for you, we can also point out that Young tied LeBron James for the most points scored in a conference finals or division finals game at age 22 or younger, that this performance gave him his sixth 30-point game on the road this postseason — the most 30-point playoff games on the road in any player’s first postseason — or that he scored the third-most points by any player in Hawks playoff history, trailing only Dominique Wilkins (50) and Bob Pettit (50).
The scary thing is, Ice Trae and his Hawks might only be getting started.
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