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Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young reiterated his desire for NBA referees to be held more accountable for their decisions in an Instagram story posted Thursday.
“We don’t care now. We move!” Young wrote (h/t James Herbert of CBS Sports).
“This goes back to my statement I said at the beginning of the year, refs should be held more accountable ($, suspensions, etc.) just like us. They shouldn’t get ‘We missed it’ passes.”
Young made that statement on Twitter last September:
Trae Young @TheTraeYoung
Instead of just making a call & moving on, now the call will mean something to THEM as well. #Accountability 🤷🏽♂️
The former Oklahoma star posted his most recent remarks in response to referee Ben Taylor admitting to pool reporter Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic that officials missed a foul call at the end of the Hawks’ 125-124 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.
Jon Krawczynski @JonKrawczynski
Referees say Taurean Prince should have been called for a foul on Saddiq Bey on his shot on the last possession. https://t.co/T30zBbXJHo
Hawks wing De’Andre Hunter missed a potential game-winning shot with one second left, but Saddiq Bey was there for a putback attempt. Prince appeared to foul Bey, but nothing was called. If the referee called a personal foul on Prince, then Bey would have gone to the line for two shots with just tenths of a second left.
Instead, the game ended with the Hawks falling to 36-37. It was a tough defeat for a team that looks safely in the play-in tournament field, but the Hawks are still trying to fend off the 35-38 Toronto Raptors and 34-38 Chicago Bulls to stay in eighth and earn a win-and-in scenario to make the postseason.
Now Young and the Hawks move on to Atlanta, where they will host the 33-40 Indiana Pacers on Saturday. Indiana is the first team on the outside looking into the play-in picture, so a Hawks win Saturday would be beneficial toward the team clinching a play-in berth.