This season is now or never for Hawks star Trae Young

The Hawks gave Trae Young nearly everything he wanted during the offseason. The exception is a contract extension. The inaction signals that general manager Onsi Saleh wasn’t ready to make a long-term commitment to Young before seeing if the All-Star makes this reconstructed team a title contender.

So, it’s likely now or never for Young in Atlanta, starting with Wednesday’s season opener at State Farm Arena.

Prove that he can be The Man for a title-contending team, and Young likely will get a maximum contract and more respect around the league. Young may not get the former (and surely wouldn’t get the latter) if the Hawks fail to win a playoff series for a fifth consecutive season, especially now that his team is built to do much more than just make it to the postseason in the wide-open Eastern Conference.

“As a high-level competitor, you want expectations,” Young said before the start of training camp. “You want people to think you’re going to be great, to think you’re going to accomplish the most. You know what I’m saying?

“So, for me, as a player and a competitor, I embrace it. I embrace all the expectations. Whatever expectations y’all have of us, great. That’s cool. But I promise you we have (high) expectations for ourselves.”

The Hawks did that last offseason. Saleh said he made roster moves with Young’s input. Young is in the prime of his career at age 27. He has seven seasons of experience and four All-Star selections. It’s time for Young to prove he has what it takes to make the Hawks a contender.

Cut out the plays that seem to be more about creating highlights than wins. Dig deeper on defense. Get back to being a hyperefficient scorer after three consecutive seasons below that standard. Let others run the offense and become an effective scorer from off the ball.

Regarding that last point, Young said he’s all for it.

“I think you’ll be able to see another element in my game that you haven’t been able to see,” Young said. “A lot of people like to say, ‘Trae can’t play with this person, this person. He loves the ball in his hand, he can’t move (off) the ball.’

“Like, come on, man. You’ll be able to see (now), especially in moments where guys draw double teams.”

New center Kristaps Porziņģis gets that kind of attention. He’s a 7-footer who scores from inside and outside and makes the right plays with the ball. Jalen Johnson puts pressure on help defenders with his driving ability and passing.

Those are two guys who are good enough for Young, the NBA’s premier playmaker, to pass the ball to and then go find space to shoot. The Hawks have more ways to hurt opponents who focus their defensive strategy on stopping Young.

“I know I’m going to have two people on me,” he said. “But just knowing whoever I throw it out to is going to be just as dangerous a scorer … is very important.”

Just as important: The Hawks finally have a deep group of shooters around Young.

Newcomers Porziņģis, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Luke Kennard all have shot 37% or better from 3-point range during their careers. Kennard is the NBA’s most accurate 3-point shooter (44%) among active players since 2017-18. Zaccharie Risacher made 41% of his 3-point attempts after the All-Star break during his rookie season.

Spreading the floor will create more room for Young to work his magic with the ball.

“Spacing is going to be a lot better,” he said. “I feel like that’s going to be a plus, for sure.”

The bigger question is at the other end. The Hawks have been less efficient defensively with Young on the floor in six of his seven seasons. His reputation for not caring about defense is outdated, but he’s still a weak link at that end. Young can be a better team defender, especially now that the Hawks have more good defenders than ever.

Porziņģis is a good rim protector. Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels form an elite defensive duo on the perimeter. Johnson can defend nearly any opponent everywhere on the court. That’s four guys who can help to make the Hawks a good defensive team, or at least good enough, if Young does his part.

Young is surrounded by good players who are good fits. The Hawks are a relatively young team, but three of Young’s teammates played for contending teams. Porziņģis won a championship with the Celtics, Alexander-Walker went to the West finals the past two seasons with Minnesota, and Kennard made it there once with the Clippers.

“It’s exciting to me to have guys who have voices that know what it takes to win at a high level, but also playing a role at a high level,” Young said. “Even me included, I’ve got to play my role to help our team win. If I don’t do my job, my role, the right way, then we are probably not going to be successful.