Assessing Expectations for Trae in Year 2

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10 first-time NBA All-Star candidates

Don't sleep on Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum or even Trae Young from playing in the All-Star Game in 2020

7. Trae Young | Atlanta Hawks| Point Guard



If Young was in the Western Conference, it would be preposterous to even whisper about him as a potential All-Star, but he's in the East and he's already really good, at least on the offensive end, which is mostly what making the All-Star team is about. He's a truly special passer and there's a good chance his 3-point shooting improves in his second season. Averaging 20 points and eight or nine assists -- heck, even a 20-10 season -- is not out of the question for Young. If he is tracking those kinds of numbers through February, he'll have to get at least some All-Star consideration.

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A pretty solid piece from Bleacher Report:

Trae Needs to Learn from Steph, but Not What You Think

Defense, not shooting is what Young needs to watch



Trae Young has been a walking Stephen Curry comparison since college. With his size, ball-handling skill and long-range shooting, it's always made sense.

Young, however, needs to mimic Curry's play on the defensive end to take his game—and the Atlanta Hawks—to the next level.

When people discuss the Golden State Warriors' defense, Curry's name is often left out. But Curry is surprisingly a plus-defender despite teams targeting him on that end, and he manages to disrupt offenses more frequently than he's credited. Last season, the Warriors' defensive rating was better when he was on the floor. They went from 105.8 with him to 110.6 when he was off the court.

Curry's physical attributes (6'3", 190 lbs) limit his defensive ceiling, but he makes up for them with his understanding of the scheme and, most importantly, the outstanding effort he puts in.

This is where Young has to improve. He is not going to change his physical limitations (6'2", 180 lbs), but he can put in more effort to fight on that end. It was just his rookie year, but he has to put up a better defensive rating than 114.8 the rest of the way.

Opponents will target Young throughout his entire career, but he needs to accept the challenge, just as Curry has when teams attack him.

Bleacher Report

Spoiler:

When the Charlotte Hornets' Cody Zeller set a pick for Kemba Walker, Young flat-out died on the screen, giving his mark a clean look at the three-pointer:




Regardless of the coverage, Young needed to continue pursuing Walker. He cannot let his man get that good a look.

Watch how Curry reacted to almost the same set from the Hornets:



He went over the ball screen, and as Walker hit Zeller to get it right back in a dribble handoff, he chased him by again going over the Zeller screen and providing a good rear contest to affect Walker's shot.

For the record, DeMarcus Cousins was in the same drop coverage as Omari Spellman was in the Young play, but Curry kept coming. The Warriors point guard does not die on screens even when he gets clipped.

[Jamaaliver]

there’s one obvious hurdle that Young still needs to clear — finishing.

Here is Young’s finishing performance (classified as restricted area attempts) from last year compared to the rookie seasons of the current point guards you could classify as “above-average volume shooters” — Steph, Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Damian Lillard, and D’Angelo Russell. For posterity, their 2018-19 performances have been included to demonstrate progress.


Right away, Young’s volume jumps out, as does his low amount of assisted attempts at the rim. That indicates a low number of cutting and off-ball attempts, which does point at the ball-dominant nature that could be an issue in the future.

For Young to get to the level where he is a truly game-changing point guard, he needs to get at least above 55 percent at the rim on his volume of attempts. That’s what will likely end up separating him into either the Curry tier or the Kemba tier. To do that, it’s all about strength. Young already has pretty effective touch, as his floater game looks promising, and he has an effective array of scoop shots that can help him extend through and around opponents.

The Stepback

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3 bold expectations for Hawks guard Trae Young in the 2019-20 NBA season



Double-double average in scoring, assists

Trae Young ranked tied for 22nd in terms of total double-doubles last season, but he also led all players in terms of double-doubles with points and assists.

After averaging over 19 points and eight dimes during his rookie campaign, there is no reason to believe that Young cannot average a double-double in points and assists over the course of a full season.

Young nearly posted double-double averages in February and March, and he only figures to grow more comfortable running the point for the Hawks. Plus, he has more outside shooters on the roster with De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish joining the fray.


First All-Star nod

Had Trae Young performed as well as he did during the first part of the season as he did over the course of the final three months, he almost certainly would have garnered All-Star attention.

Young stands an excellent chance at making the All-Star team, particularly in a weak Eastern Conference that has a relative shortage of star power at the point guard position. If the Hawks are competing for a playoff spot in February, it will be hard to argue that Young does not deserve a spot on the team.


All-NBA team?

Making an All-NBA team is probably the highest individual accolade a player can receive outside of being named the actual MVP of the league.

Now, Trae Young is certainly not one of the 15 best players in the NBA heading into the 2019-20 season, and he is not among the top six guards in the league, either. However, he could absolutely string together a season worthy of All-NBA recognition. Should Young play at an All-Star level and lead a Hawks team that arrives well ahead of schedule, he might be named to one of the All-NBA teams in the 2019-20 NBA season.

Clutch Points

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Part of what makes Young so interesting as a prospect is that his game is still so far from complete. He’s learning what it means to run an offense at a professional level beyond hitting tough shots and making impressive passes. There is a subtlety to the job that can only be learned through working it—the kind that was even discernible in Young’s performance as he moved from month to month during his rookie season. Give it time. The version of Young we’ll see in action in the coming season will probably play a smarter, more polished brand of basketball by some incremental measure.

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The 29 People and Things That Will Define the NBA in 2019-20

Luka vs. Trae, Round 2



When two high picks are traded for each other on or near draft night, the outcome is typically lopsided: Jayson Tatum over Markelle Fultz, Kevin Love over O.J. Mayo, LaMarcus Aldridge over Tyrus Thomas, Deron Williams over Martell Webster, and so on. Through one season, though, both the Hawks and Mavericks are thrilled by the result of their 2018 swap, which sent Doncic to Dallas and Young plus a future first—ultimately Cam Reddish, 2019’s no. 10 overall pick—to Atlanta.

In Atlanta, Young’s rookie season was a tale of two halves; after a slumpy start to his NBA career, he was superior in every statistical category in the second half—he shot better, passed better, and overall played better as Atlanta blossomed into a League Pass favorite.

All Doncic did, meanwhile, was post the fifth 20-5-5 season for a rookie in NBA history—joining Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, and Tyreke Evans—en route to receiving 98 out of 100 first-place Rookie of the Year votes. (Young got the other two.)

For all of Young’s offensive firepower, it’s hard not to think, at least for the moment, that Dallas has emerged as the deal’s victor. Young remains a defensive question mark—ESPN’s advanced RPM stat rated him the worst defender in the league last season—while Doncic, at just 20 years old, looks like a future MVP candidate, with an all-around game optimally built for the modern NBA. In Year 2, we will learn whether Young might close the gap, given his hard charge to end his rookie season and Atlanta’s exciting young lineup. And we will learn, most of all, whether Doncic might go the route of Evans, who peaked as a rookie, or whether he’s more apt to follow NBA legends Robertson, Jordan, and James.

The Ringer

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Will these second-year players hit the 'rookie wall'?



Luka Doncic and Trae Young are likely victims

Both have more than met peoples' expectations on them. Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game with a usage rate of 31.2 while Young put down 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists on average with a usage rate of 28.3 last season. Their performances were convincing enough to be the new leaders of Dallas and Atlanta.

That's why they are more likely to hit the post-rookie wall.

Their incredible performances have already placed them high on all teams' study list. Each of their playing habits, advantages and disadvantages will be put under the microscope as opponents figure out how to defend them. Unlike Doncic, Young built his game on screen plays. Finding teammates was not difficult for a guy who could deliver an average of 9.4 assists per 36 minutes. Moreover, Young's aggressive penetration could earn him 5.1 free throws per game, not to mention that he averaged one point per floater.

Young's problem was with his defense. As a small guard who's only 1.88 meters tall and 81 kilograms. Many guards in the league could give him a hard time in defense and more so in mismatches after screens. If he invests too much on defense, Young's firepower will be undermined.

CGTN

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Biggest Question for Every NBA Team Ahead of 2019 Training Camp

Atlanta Hawks



Does Trae Young elevate the Atlanta Hawks in Year 2 by taking the step from productive rookie to impact star?

By April, Trae Young had built a serious Rookie of the Year case by averaging 22.9 points and 9.0 assists over his last 39 games. What happens to his perceived standing among NBA point guards—and his team—if he puts up those numbers for an entire season?

Young, who turned 21 in mid-September, has already answered skeptics who questioned whether his skills could translate without size, strength and athleticism. After joining Oscar Robertson and Damon Stoudamire as the only rookies to average at least 18 points and eight assists, he must now demonstrate how high he can rise and where he's capable of taking the Hawks.

Young will only continue to make the game easier for John Collins, although the explosive big man has improved plenty on his own. And with Kevin Huerter flashing more than just lethal shooting ability and rookies De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish joining the mix, the NBA community has taken notice of Atlanta's breakout potential.

Still, the focus in training camp will remain on Young and how fast he evolves from productive rookie to impact star.

Bleacher Report

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Future NBA Stars Ready to Elevate Lottery Teams Next Season

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks



Whether you lean on the numbers or trust your gut, it's easy to make a case for Trae Young's team-elevating future stardom.

The rookie point guard endured a frigid opening stretch and holstered his three-point shot for much of December before turning into the defense-shredding lead guard the Atlanta Hawks expected. Young scored 30 or more points only three times in his first 60 games, but he finished the season with six such efforts in his final 21 contests.

Young had seven games with at least 30 points and 10 assists, more than any rookie since Oscar Robertson. The rookie most closely trailing Young on that list, Stephen Curry, posted five such games in 2009-10. Young had five 30-10 outings in the final six weeks of his rookie year.

To say Young was trending up as he gained experience immensely understates his progress.

Numbers aside, Young visibly assumed a rare mantle late in his first season. A threat to pull up from well beyond the arc, he stretched defenses to their breaking points. The Curry comparison is as unavoidable as it is unfair, but it's difficult to describe the way Young affected opposing game plans without invoking Curry's high-volume shooting breakout a half-decade ago.

Crafty enough to draw contact in the lane, gifted with uncommon vision and stronger for having survived a brutal first few weeks, Young appears to be a team-transforming offensive force. For proof, look no further than the Hawks' 25th-ranked offense before the All-Star break. Afterward, when Young started cooking with gas, Atlanta checked in at No. 11.

Bleacher Report

[HMFFL]

Will these second-year players hit the 'rookie wall'?



Luka Doncic and Trae Young are likely victims

Both have more than met peoples' expectations on them. Doncic averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game with a usage rate of 31.2 while Young put down 19.1 points, 3.7 rebounds and 8.1 assists on average with a usage rate of 28.3 last season. Their performances were convincing enough to be the new leaders of Dallas and Atlanta.

That's why they are more likely to hit the post-rookie wall.

Their incredible performances have already placed them high on all teams' study list. Each of their playing habits, advantages and disadvantages will be put under the microscope as opponents figure out how to defend them. Unlike Doncic, Young built his game on screen plays. Finding teammates was not difficult for a guy who could deliver an average of 9.4 assists per 36 minutes. Moreover, Young's aggressive penetration could earn him 5.1 free throws per game, not to mention that he averaged one point per floater.

Young's problem was with his defense. As a small guard who's only 1.88 meters tall and 81 kilograms. Many guards in the league could give him a hard time in defense and more so in mismatches after screens. If he invests too much on defense, Young's firepower will be undermined.

CGTN

I don't think the second year slump will happen for Luka or Trae. Both have new weapons in their team now, but I hope Young will see less double teams, and has improved his defense, even if just slightly.


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From Rising Stars to Obvious MVP Candidates, Here's Every NBA Team's Best Player




Atlanta Hawks: PG Trae Young

Runner-Up: PF John Collins

Young was incredible after the All-Star break last season, pushing the Hawks to a near-.500 record and leading many to believe they could be a sneaky playoff contender this year.

Young's awareness makes him special as he takes what the defense gives and then punishes it with his passing and scoring from multiple levels.

All the Hawks did was put more weapons around him (De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, Evan Turner, Jabari Parker) to go along with Collins, Kevin Huerter and Alex Len.

Don't be surprised if Young averages over 20 points and 10 assists this season, even though he just turned 21.

Bleacher Report

[graymule]

Yep. Added more weapons. Please. Everyone please forget Bruno. He was just a second round pick.
He doesn't matter. He doesn't count. He He!

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High-End Starters: 6.50 to 7.49

Trae Young, 7.0 (0.85 up)

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