The shooting woes of Trae Young have been well documented in the first three summer league games of his professional career. The Hawks’ first-round draft selection got some support from a fellow draftee on Friday.

Michael Porter Jr. posted a message on social media warning those critical of Young’s miserable start.

Porter posted a video and said: “Hey, I want to say to all you all hating on my guy Trae Young right now, I want you to keep that same energy when he starts killing. Cause he’s going to start killing and all you all hating on him right now are going to eat your words. So keep that same energy. Yup.”

In three games in the Utah Jazz Summer League, Young went 12-for-52 (.231) from the field, including 3-for-24 (.125) from 3-point range. The Hawks lost all three games. The team opens the Las Vegas Summer League on Saturday with a game against the Knicks. They also will play preliminary round games against the Blazers on Sunday and the Bulls on Tuesday before the tournament round.

The Hawks acquired Young, the No. 5 overall pick, in a draft night trade with the Mavericks after selecting Luka Doncic with the No. 3 pick. Porter Jr. was selected by the Nuggets with the No. 14 pick.

Here’s a look at how Young has fared:

vs. Grizzlies: 4 of 20, 1 of 11 on 3-pointers

vs. Spurs: 5 of 16, 1 of 5

vs. Jazz: 3 of 16, 1 of 8

About the Author

Keep Reading

The Hawks announced Saturday that guard Trae Young will be increasing his conditioning as he tries to come back from a sprained MCL in his right knee. Young has missed 21 games since his injury, suffered on Oct. 29, and the team is 12-9 in his absence. (Hyosub Shin/AJC)

Credit: HYOSUB SHIN / AJC

Featured

Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com