oddity wrote:Trae Young
Finally, the player most of the board has been drooling over. Trae Young is obviously making history right now, and although my overhype detectors went off last year with the last freshman PG sensation, Trae Young might actually be worth a top 5 pick in the draft.
Trae's biggest strength is not his shooting, as most people think; it is actually his ability to get to the line. Trae is crafty, commands limitless space, and has impressive handles. He uses fakes nearly constantly, and is always weaving left and right when going towards the basket, as opposed to Josh Jackson-like straight line drives. He has a James Harden-like quality to him, and by the way uses the same cheesy shooting through the defender's arm move. In conference play, Trae takes 11.7 FTs a game, at free throw rate that sits snuggly between Curry and Harden's. Getting to the line is indicative of high scoring and high efficiency scoring, and breeds consistency. He also makes them when he gets there (83%). This puts him in stark contrast to that last guy from UCLA, who averaged 2.7 FTs a game.
That of course isn't to say his shooting isn't phenomenal. For all the threes he takes (11 attempts a game!!!!) and the level of difficulty he's taking them at it is incredible he can maintain 36% in conference. His form is textbook, his release is lightning quick, and he can take shots either from a standstill, moving left and right, and even stepping back. His shot selection has been wild as of late, but I'm sure he will reign it in when he's on a team with talent on it. The transition 3 will be a consistent weapon for him, and a lineup with him on it will be much better pushing the pace because of the defensive attention he commands. I'm excited to see him coming off of screens and curls. He is quick enough to get free, and I'm sure he will be relieved getting open shots for once.
Trae's passing has been very up and down. He shows great vision, and has a good touch on his passes, but gets very ambitious and looks to make THE pass instead of the RIGHT pass. While it is impressive that he reads through plays and understands where the ball needs to be to score, he must learn more restraint. While he can be a very good passer at the next level, Nash comparisons seem extremely premature. Averaging 9 assists is great if it doesn't come with 7 turnovers, but those turnovers are also a product of the insane amount of possessions Trae must handle the ball in.
Driving to the basket shows a bit of an area of concern for Trae and that is finishing inside. He is small and light at the college level, and he cannot play above the rim like a Donovan Mitchel or Dennis Smith can, which puts him at a huge disadvantage. I've seen him make brilliant moves to the basket, only to get his shot obliterated by a rim protector. The more he learns to make pocket passes to cutting teammates the more efficient he will be in those scenarios, bc as of now it seems like he will struggle in the NBA.
This recent game against Iowa was also a bit concerning. He got outplayed by Lindell Wigginton and locked up by a bad defensive team, and if that continues against more PG rivals it will become a deal-breaker for me. This is something Trae may have in common with that bust out in LA, if you remember how hard he got embarrassed against De'Aaron Fox. (sorry for all the unmitigated Zo hate, but I **** CALLED IT)
The biggest weakness for Trae is his defense. He is certainly quick, but he doesn't have the strength or athleticism to stay with bigger guards. One thing that must be noted is that Trae attacks on offense for the majority of games, and will inevitably take a few plays off out of exhaustion. That will improve with a smaller role in the league. Even so, with below average size and length, he doesn't project to be a particularly good defender in the league.
As primary ball handlers become bigger and bigger, Trae may not the most future-proof kind of player. Big backcourts have become a winning strategy, and I think the 6-7" Luka is a better option on both ends for us. NBA lineups are trending towards five 6-7" guys, and the Suns can get very close to that with Luka instead of Trae.
So have your thoughts on Trae changed at all since this post?
