Curry told Young to stay the course, use the non-selection as motivation, and he will eventually get chosen.
Trae Young was on the edge of making it to the All-Star Game, but didn’t get selected yet again. After the Atlanta Hawks’ game against the Golden State Warriors Saturday night, Stephen Curry offered words of advice to the young star.
Young was not selected for Team USA last summer, although he felt he deserved it and got snubbed. This season, he didn’t get selected for the All-Star Game for the second year straight despite averaging a career-high 10.9 assists with 27+ points per game.
“He’s continued to get better, perform, his numbers… You know, All-Star is a lot that goes into it from the votes from fans, media, coaches. It’s a competitive element in each position, trying to be selected every year,” Curry said after the game.
Young was second among fans with 2,270,401 votes but came in 6th in both the player ranking and the media vote among Eastern Conference guards. After not getting in as a starter, Young wasn’t selected as a reserve either.
“I told him after the game: it will all come back to him if he continues to approach the game in the right way, play with joy, don’t let it build any type of resentment because he’s not acknowledged. I’m sure there are a couple of injuries in the East, and it might not be the way he wanted to get in, but he’ll be there in Indiana and be represented,” Curry said.
“Like I said, continue to approach the game the right way. If you continue to work at your craft, if he continues to do what he’s doing, it’ll come back to him,” the Warriors superstar explained. “The year before I first made it, you get that snub tag. It’s kind of like a chip on your shoulder, and it’s a motivator. He can use that energy.”
Young was previously selected for the All-Star Game in 2020 and 2022.
