His crowning moment was his arc in the middle of Madison Square Garden after he had just eliminated the Knicks from the playoffs.
The two factions reignited their feud on Monday night, and Young was finally laughing.
The 23-year-old scored 45 points to help the Atlanta Hawks beat the Knicks 117-111.
When asked if the boos that rained down on him were as loud as he expected, Young was stinging maliciously at the New York fans.
Young scored seven three-pointers, providing a boost in a late push that awarded Eastern Conference winners last season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic added 32 points from the bench for the Hawks in a hostile environment for the mobile team.
“And I think if we had that kind of mentality in every game, we would give ourselves a chance to win.”
RJ Barrett led the way for the Knicks with 30 points, as the team struggled in the absence of Julius Randle.
New York had a 10-point lead early in the fourth quarter, but after Young came off the bench, the game was back in Atlanta’s favour.
Hawks coach Nate Macmillan said his team’s focus was on Monday’s game and not the two’s previous encounters.
The win cements the Hawks’ 10th place in the Eastern Conference standings, in the tournament’s final playing place with a record of 36-36.
For the Knicks, the disappointing season continued, who now has a record 30-42.