Trae Young is Ridiculously Underrated

[HotRocks34]

Ouch

[ChuckChilly]

One of my main gripes with Trae is that he hasn't evolved his game since he has been in the league. Its just one game, but tonight was my point on full display. Synder is supposed to have a system in place but Trae was just out there winging it as usual. He either just doesn't have the IQ to run a team efficiently or its too baked into his core as a player to want to score or be in control.

[PasswordisTaco]

Trae just comes across as a weasel. Just no redeeming qualities.

[magee]

He had a rough game.

[rapstarter]

He's such an awful shooter for someone who's known for shooting.

[art_tatum]

shoots like hes steph

[GatorbaitDD]

Not a fan at all. I think he's one of the most overrated players in the league.

[Jamaaliver]

Read on Twitter

Spoiler:

[Rainwater]

I feel like Trae is the PG version of Andre Drummonds. Stats look good but isn’t really going to lead you anywhere. I don’t know how long it’s going to take for hawks fans to realize this. They already fired 2 coaches for the guy.

[Jamaaliver]

I feel like Trae is the PG version of Andre Drummonds.

^And just like that...he's underrated again.

Read on Twitter

[Rainwater]

I feel like Trae is the PG version of Andre Drummonds.

^And just like that...he's underrated again.

Read on Twitter

You are kinda proving my point. His stats look nice but he is just not a guy who can lead a team to the promise land. People used to always point to Drummonds rebounding numbers and double doubles as proof he is a good player but he wasn’t.

Trae’s inefficiency is my major sticking point. You can’t have a guy who consistently shoots 40% from the field or worse taking 15+ shots per game. That is not winning basketball in today’s league. This just offsets the positives he brings by getting to the free throw line and the many assists he creates. And the fact he is a poor defender makes matters worse.

[Jamaaliver]

I feel like Trae is the PG version of Andre Drummonds.

You can make the argument that Trae is an inefficient, empty stat man in the vein of Russ Westbrook or Allen Iverson.

But Andre Drummond? C'mon.

That dude is not an NBA player based on skill or BBall IQ (traits Trae Young clearly has). Drummond is in the NBA because of size. Genetics. He's a giant, mobile human being in a league that overvalues giant, unskilled, mobile human beings.

Trae has his flaws, but he's at least a skilled ball player with some level of basketball acumen. If anything, he's the PG version of Jason Williams.

Spoiler:

That comparison at least makes sense...

[tsherkin]

You can make the argument that Trae is an inefficient, empty stat man in the vein of Russ Westbrook or Allen Iverson.

But Andre Drummond? C'mon.

Drummond is quite a leap. Young has positive impact on the offense. His problem isn't that he isn't good, it's that he struggles against size and to shoulder a volume scoring load come the playoffs, particularly without a ton of help. That's not really a sin so much as an issue of role deployment and roster context. He's quite an adept PG.

Drummond could rebound and do basically nothing else. Didn't have much of a mind for the game, which Trae certainly possesses.

[leo7]

This game confirms that Trae Young is not an off-ball player. He needs the ball in his hands to succeed.

[tsherkin]

This game confirms that Trae Young is not an off-ball player. He needs the ball in his hands to succeed.

This is often said as if it is some sin. It isn't. Primary on-ball guys do best when utilizing their on-ball skills. That seems a natural extension. He is, after all, a PG. You diminish his utility if you turn him into anything else. Yeah, running a set here or there for him to fade to the corner or something makes any kind of sense, but it shouldn't really be a regular option unless you've got a titanic offensive player next to him.

[leo7]

This game confirms that Trae Young is not an off-ball player. He needs the ball in his hands to succeed.

This is often said as if it is some sin. It isn't. Primary on-ball guys do best when utilizing their on-ball skills. That seems a natural extension. He is, after all, a PG. You diminish his utility if you turn him into anything else. Yeah, running a set here or there for him to fade to the corner or something makes any kind of sense, but it shouldn't really be a regular option unless you've got a titanic offensive player next to him.

I completely agree. I don't understand why everyone wants Trae to play off-ball when he is clearly not capable of doing it. He is at his best with the ball in his hands.

I blame the front office for trying to force this Trae/Murray backcourt to work. They should've traded Murray in the off-season.

[wco81]

This game confirms that Trae Young is not an off-ball player. He needs the ball in his hands to succeed.

This is often said as if it is some sin. It isn't. Primary on-ball guys do best when utilizing their on-ball skills. That seems a natural extension. He is, after all, a PG. You diminish his utility if you turn him into anything else. Yeah, running a set here or there for him to fade to the corner or something makes any kind of sense, but it shouldn't really be a regular option unless you've got a titanic offensive player next to him.

I completely agree. I don't understand why everyone wants Trae to play off-ball when he is clearly not capable of doing it. He is at his best with the ball in his hands.

I blame the front office for trying to force this Trae/Murray backcourt to work. They should've traded Murray in the off-season.

If they can get him more clean catch and shoot looks, it would help his shooting percentages.

That might mean fewer FTs, as he wouldn't have the ball in his hands as often to try to draw fouls.

But if his FG% and 3P% each rise about 5 points because there's a higher mix of "open" shots for him, maybe it would be a worthwhile tradeoff for not having as many FTs?

[Rainwater]

I feel like Trae is the PG version of Andre Drummonds.

You can make the argument that Trae is an inefficient, empty stat man in the vein of Russ Westbrook or Allen Iverson.

But Andre Drummond? C'mon.

That dude is not an NBA player based on skill or BBall IQ (traits Trae Young clearly has). Drummond is in the NBA because of size. Genetics. He's a giant, mobile human being in a league that overvalues giant, unskilled, mobile human beings.

Trae has his flaws, but he's at least a skilled ball player with some level of basketball acumen. If anything, he's the PG version of Jason Williams.

Spoiler:

That comparison at least makes sense...

You only took a portion of what I said. I was speaking only in terms of stats, not skill or basketball IQ. Of course Trae is plenty skilled. However, just like Drummonds, Trae is putting up numbers but his team remains consistently mediocre.

[xBulletproof]

I'm confused that this thing is still going. I feel like I commented in here months ago, people are still debating this? He's a 'shooter' that has shot below the league average from three, 3/5 seasons. 1 he was average. Then people compare him to Curry. Ha.

Granted I'm also surprised this thread was even made, so what do I know? Guess I shouldn't be surprised it's still going

[tsherkin]

Trae is putting up numbers but his team remains consistently mediocre.

So, from 2020 onward, Trae has averaged 27.3 ppg and 9.7 apg. In that time, Atlanta has been -3.4, +3.4, +4.5, +1.8 and -4.1 relative ORTG. When they've had pieces, they've been pretty good on O. They've been crap on D and had 4 different coaches... but were still the 2nd-best O in the league in 2022.

He isn't without impact. In 2022, he was second in the league in O-EPM...