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shakes0 wrote:Trae for sure. Cmon Spud.


Next poll should be who would you rather have, Okongwu or a mop in a bucket?

Trae Young or Ja Morant: Which playoff breakout star would you rather build around?



Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young and Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant have been lighting it up for their respective teams. They’re definitely not the favorites to win the title this year. But in the coming years, these two players and their respective teams will likely become perennial playoff contenders.

As a little brain exercise for those of you who dream of becoming an NBA general manager one day, which playoff breakout star would you rather build around – Trae Young or Ja Morant? It is pretty difficult as both players have their own respective styles and are darn good at it.

Offense

Spoiler:

In the regular season, Trae Young averaged 25.3 points per game on 43.8 percent from the field, 34.3 percent. from the 3-point line, and 88.6 percent from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, Morant averaged 19.1 points per game on 44.9 percent from the field 30.3 percent from the 3-point line, and 72.8 from the free-throw line. These statistics pretty much reveal how Young is the better offensive player between the two. We all know his antics from behind the arc as well as his deadly floaters. Morant may be the more athletic player but he has to work on his outside shot.

Based on traditional statistics, Young holds the most advantage in free-throw attempts per game. His foul-drawing antics may be a cause of controversy. But the fact of the matter is that he gets to the line 8.7 times (fourth in the NBA) per game as opposed to Morant’s 5.9.

Defense

Spoiler:

Traditional statistics won’t reveal much of Young and Morant’s defense. Advanced statistics paint a better picture in thise regard. We can see that offensive players shoot 45.2 percent on Young while 46.0 percent on Morant. Broken down by position, Young plays defense on his fellow guards for 79.3 percent of the time and limits them to 43.7 percent shooting from the field. For his part, Morant defends guards 72.0 percent of the time and limits them to 44.6 percent. Both players are not really built with heft. And so when they defend forwards, they allow them to shoot over 50 percent: 56.1 for Young and 54.7 percent for Ja Morant.

Involving Teammates

Spoiler:

Both Trae Young and Ja Morant can be classified as scoring point guards, which, by its loose definition, is a guard who creates his own opportunities and involves his teammates as well. Young dished out 9.4 assists per game which ranked third in the league. Ja Morant averaged 7.4 which ranked 10th. Their numbers are too close to come up with a conclusion. Looking at their assists percentage would reveal the real story. As for one, Young’s assists percentage is 42.6 (third in the league) as opposed to Morant’s 32.1 (25th in the league). This is a pretty wide gap. This simply means that Young understands that winning isn’t just about padding your own stats. It’s also about getting your teammates involved.

Among Young’s teammates, John Collins (2.2 dishes per game), Clint Capela (2.1), and Bogdan Bogdanovic (1.1) are his favorite assist recipients. Ja Morant’s favorite recipient is Dillon Brooks. But he dishes the ball to him just 1.6 times per game. Next to him is Jonas Valanciunas (1.6). This reveals how clear-cut and fluid the Hawks’ offensive system is. And Young knows when and where to find his teammates.

Conclusion

All in all, Trae Young takes the edge over Ja Morant. Their win-loss record and playoff seeding are a good proof of this. Props to Morant and the Grizzlies for doing well in the play-in tourney. However, Young and the Hawks are on the verge of booting out the New York Knicks in the first round. Young seems to have a tighter and finer grip on his play style in relation to the NBA’s play.