Last week, Hawks Fan TV had the pleasure of talking to one of the top NBA/WNBA skills trainers in the world, Alex Bazzell. Alex works with players such as Kyrie Irving, Carmelo Anthony, Candace Parker, and of course our very own, Trae Young. We learned a lot about Trae, what he’s improving on, and how he approaches the game. We also got to listen to what it takes to be a professional trainer on the highest level of basketball. Below is our conversation:
At what point in your mind did you start to say, wow, [Trae] has a chance to be really special?
AB: It was probably watching him play pick-up at OU. Blake Griffin, Buddy Hield, those guys came back, and he was there every step of the way with them; and this was before he ever played any college game. That was the first time I saw Trae play in an atmosphere where he was kind of running the show, and we know what makes Trae special is not just his scoring ability but his passing ability. So that’s when I got to see how talented he was and how high his IQ was… what makes Trae special is that he makes every person out there better than they are.
How do you stay sharp and in tune with how the game evolves… and are you the motivation for them, are they self-motivated or are you the guy to be there to [hold] them accountable?
AB: In terms of motivation, I’m not a “ra-ra” guy; I’m not going to sit there and try to get you to the gym and get you motivated. I mean, let’s be honest if you’re not motivated to potentially make [millions], I mean Trae’s on pace to potentially make a billion dollars in his career. Two, all these guys are trying to build their legacies, so Trae’s in a completely different class where it’s much more than money, he’s trying to win championships and trying to win MVPs, so I don’t need to sit there and try to motivate Trae… our relationship, we’re very much like big brother-little brother because we are fairly close in age, but there are times where we have to figure out that relationship side [of training].
What have you seen change as far as how he approaches the game.. is he looking to get more teammates involved, etc.?
AB: What I’ve seen more so this summer as opposed to the last couple is his maturity level and the way he goes about his work. He’s much more locked in throughout the course the entire week, whereas a couple of years ago, he was so young and had so much success that it’s hard to sit there and say, “Hey, you need to focus some more.” I play quite a bit still with a lot of my guys… in the last couple of years, I’ve been able to hang with Trae and stick around just based on my knowledge and maturity level of the game; he would go through times where he would settle, but this year it really wasn’t close. That’s just a testament that he is really starting to figure things out… it’s hard to say a guy who’s been averaging close to 30 and 10 has a ton of room for growth, but I think what you’re going to see is his efficiency, and you maybe eluded to it a little more but just his leadership and knowing that the organizational keys are in his hand, and there’s a lot of responsibility that comes with that… He’s grown from a development standpoint, from a personal standpoint, and he’ll be the first to tell you that there’s still has a lot to do, but I am certainly really happy with where he’s at right now.
Were you expecting Trae to turn up in the Knicks series?
AB: I always get more nervous than my players do, but with Trae, this was the first time where I really expected it, and I was around him a couple of days prior, and I kind of saw where his head was at and how focused he was, and you know, there are certain guys where when the lights are brightest, you know what you are going to get out of them, and Trae’s the ultimate showman, and I think you saw that in the Garden… I knew when the NBA decided that fans would be allowed in the [arena] that it was not good news for the Knicks.
What were the New York fans doing when he was going off like that?
AB: Obviously, there were some very select words that were being thrown out, but nothing is going to top when I went to West Virginia when he was at OU and what I heard from those fans, I mean, there were fans running up to the huddle, flicking him off and saying “Eff you”, they were like five feet away from the huddle, and he was like “damn, I’m just playing a basketball game, relax”. Trae really embraced that villain role when he was in the Garden… I think it will definitely turn into a hell of a rivalry; it’s inevitable, the Knicks are going to end up adding someone over the course of the next couple of years, as we know Trae has every intention of remaining an Atlanta Hawk, and I think all the young pieces around him will continue to grow as well. So I am really interested to see how this rivalry develops too.
Who do you think is the best Hawks player not named Trae Young?
AB: Man, that is a tough question; I think it really depends on the matchup. We’ve seen John Collins consistently put up 20 and step into that role; there’s been times where Clint Capela looked like the best center in the NBA, and I think he really fits with Trae really, really well and then there’s Bogi. I wish Bogi wasn’t hurt at the end of the year; he was the guy I’m always talking to Trae about; he just looks like he has that IT factor… I’m really excited to see how each guy comes back… They’re so deep all of a sudden, whereas three years ago, you’re like, “damn, I don’t know what’s going to happen here over the next couple of years.”
What have you seen him change/improve on in his game this offseason, or is it just same old?
AB: I am a big believer in just focus on one thing. If you’re going to focus on “oh, let’s get better mid-range, this move, and this move,” it really limits how much you can improve at one thing, everything else you continue to touch up on. You touch up on the stuff he’s always doing… one of the big things he wants to improve aside from the mid-range is getting his three-point percentage up… I know I’m very excited about his mid-range this year versus the past couple of years.
Have you guys discussed [Trae] working off the ball?
AB: I think we would be foolish not to try to look at what Steph [Curry] has done with his career and the level of success he’s had off the ball… it’s through film, so he can see you just can’t past it and drift to the midcourt line until you get the ball back, and that’s what he was in a really bad habit of early in his career, but I think now that he’s got guys that he can trust around him, it’s a lot easier to do that.
Last question I have for you, Alex, when Trae says, “I want to be the best player in the world,” objectively speaking, do you think he can do that?
AB: Yes, it’s crazy to say, but Trae’s on a trajectory where it’s not going to be crazy to see him in the MVP races as early as this season. It really comes down to team success, so if the Hawks get off to a really strong start, I think you’re going to see those conversations kind of start going… I think he’s proven it; I think he continues to prove it.
