Mitchell Robinson outlasting Trae Young is the kind of detail New York Knicks fans will likely never let the Atlanta Hawks forget. One player was a second-round pick who was largely unknown at the time. The other was a top-five selection who reached stardom by tormenting Knick fans at Madison Square Garden.
Somehow, it is Robinson – and not Young – who is still standing with the team that drafted them. Go figure.
A feud that has aged poorly for the Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young’s exit from Atlanta may have officially closed the book on one of the NBA’s most intriguing rivalries. In the process, it delivered a great punchline. Young, drafted in 2018 and treated like a franchise savior, is gone after seven-plus seasons that never actually lived up to the hype.
Robinson, taken later that same draft with far fewer expectations, is now one of just three players from the 2018 draft still with his original team. That alone feels like a major win for the Knicks, who spent decades in disarray.
Once it started, this rivalry was never subtle. Young loves playing the villain at MSG. He feeds off of boos, waves goodbye to fans, rolls dice at midcourt, and leans fully into being the guy Knicks fans want their team to beat.
Atlanta embraced that energy, even when the results did not justify it. For all the trash talk and swagger, the Hawks built very little around Young that truly lasted.
Knicks' longest-tenured player is unlikely homegrown talent
Robinson’s path could not be more different. He rarely ever brings the flashy highlight plays outside of his sturdy slam dunks. Instead, he has made his career thriving on defense, as a rebounder, and doing the work that does not trend on social media.
When he is healthy, he changes games by controlling the paint and cleaning up misses: especially on the offensive glass. The longest-tenured Knick is not someone who dominates the ball or hijacks possessions from the team's stars. His role is streamlined, so that he can just help the Knicks win.
That's part of why this moment stings for Hawks fans. Young leaves as a four-time All-Star that put up huge numbers. He vacates his spot as the face of a franchise that kept spinning its wheels over the years, never finding a true core to stick with.
Robinson stays as a reminder that culture matters. The Knicks kept a draft pick that fits their style of play and helped him develop. The Hawks thought it best to move on from the guy who once defined them.
Injuries have slowed Robinson down throughout his career, one full of trade rumors and silly headlines. But, ultimately, he still plays home games at Madison Square Garden. He still wears a Knicks jersey. And for Knicks fans who spent years waiting for a team they could count on, that’s the best kind of win.