Trae Young

In more ways than the Cleveland Cavaliers’ defense preferred to see, Trae Young’s performance on November 27, 2024 confirmed his possession of “20/20 vision.” Though, given the range and audaciousness with which he took the game-icing 3-pointer, a mere 20 feet might qualify as an understatement. Bending Cleveland’s normally-elite defense to his will throughout, “Ice Trae” turns up the heat, requesting a pair of middle-of-the-floor screens that leave Ty Jerome and his reinforcements short on both communication, and reasonable contests. Left now with only one thing to do, Young elevates into a 39-foot bomb, prompting both an audible groan from the Cavaliers’ crowd, and a seven-point lead in the final minute-and-a-half. The cold-blooded bucket perfectly encapsulated Young’s historic night, as he crafted a 20-point, 22-assist masterpiece — joining a rare four-player group from this generation with multiple 20-point, 20-assist games — alongside four rebounds and three 3-pointers. It also marked both the most assists by a Hawk since 1993, and closed an eye-opening stretch in which Atlanta’s all-seeing floor general recorded 81 assists (16.2 per game) over a five-game span.