The Next Phase in Trae's Development

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An excerpt from ESPN Insider

How NBA teams frustrate Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Zion Williamson

There's no appealing way to guard an NBA superstar...with superstars such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Zion Williamson, there is only the lesser of many bad strategies. They dictate the terms of an entire possession. Guarding them is a game of whack-a-mole -- take away one option, and you leave yourself vulnerable to another. Commit too many of your defensive resources, and their teammates can punish you.

With the caveat that the most meticulous blueprint can still yield a 35-point night, even if it's executed reasonably well, these are some of the more effective and interesting strategies.

Trae Young: Don't let him get the ball back



Young is an appealing prototype of the modern, dynamic, high-usage NBA point guard -- a pick-and-roll virtuoso who can shoot from the half-court logo.

The bedrock of the Hawks' offense, and the action that best highlights Young's ingenuity as an offensive threat, is the double drag-screen. High, high up in the half-court, John Collins and Clint Capela set a couple of stagger screens, off which Young has an attractive menu of options and the defense has a series of tough questions.

There's a lot to account for: Collins can both pop out for a long-range shot or dive, and Capela is an eager rim-runner. But it's still Young's show, and he has demonstrated an ability to contend with just about any coverage scheme thrown at him. Drop the big men and he'll take advantage of that space, with the floater and by getting to the free throw line. Switch, and he'll often reject the screen, attack and draw fouls.

Many opponents prefer fighting over both screens, with the big man guarding the second screener playing moderately "up," about an arm's distance from the screener. They want Young to see a body as he comes off the double drag and be a little uncomfortable.

Young's defender will go over the screen, but it's tricky because Young has frustrated the entire league with his uncanny ability to draw fouls. Don't try to "blow the screen up" by beating Young over it -- he'll drop into you and create contact, and you will be whistled for a foul. Instead, shade him left, because if he goes to his jumper, you'll be right there on his shooting hand. Trail off him as he comes off the pick, as if it were an off-ball screen. Play in the rearview and use your length to get around, but don't close all the way to his body. Exercise control and discipline to avoid that rear-end collision.

Another effective way to combat the double drag is to not deal with it at all. Get the ball out of Young's hands and force John Collins to make a pass or Cam Reddish to create his own shot. Trapping at 85 feet can be an option, but so can a smart blitz if you have a mobile big man.

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An excerpt from ESPN Insider

How NBA teams frustrate Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Zion Williamson

There's no appealing way to guard an NBA superstar...with superstars such as Luka Doncic, Trae Young and Zion Williamson, there is only the lesser of many bad strategies. They dictate the terms of an entire possession. Guarding them is a game of whack-a-mole -- take away one option, and you leave yourself vulnerable to another. Commit too many of your defensive resources, and their teammates can punish you.

With the caveat that the most meticulous blueprint can still yield a 35-point night, even if it's executed reasonably well, these are some of the more effective and interesting strategies.

Trae Young: Don't let him get the ball back



Young is an appealing prototype of the modern, dynamic, high-usage NBA point guard -- a pick-and-roll virtuoso who can shoot from the half-court logo.

The bedrock of the Hawks' offense, and the action that best highlights Young's ingenuity as an offensive threat, is the double drag-screen. High, high up in the half-court, John Collins and Clint Capela set a couple of stagger screens, off which Young has an attractive menu of options and the defense has a series of tough questions.

There's a lot to account for: Collins can both pop out for a long-range shot or dive, and Capela is an eager rim-runner. But it's still Young's show, and he has demonstrated an ability to contend with just about any coverage scheme thrown at him. Drop the big men and he'll take advantage of that space, with the floater and by getting to the free throw line. Switch, and he'll often reject the screen, attack and draw fouls.

Many opponents prefer fighting over both screens, with the big man guarding the second screener playing moderately "up," about an arm's distance from the screener. They want Young to see a body as he comes off the double drag and be a little uncomfortable.

Young's defender will go over the screen, but it's tricky because Young has frustrated the entire league with his uncanny ability to draw fouls. Don't try to "blow the screen up" by beating Young over it -- he'll drop into you and create contact, and you will be whistled for a foul. Instead, shade him left, because if he goes to his jumper, you'll be right there on his shooting hand. Trail off him as he comes off the pick, as if it were an off-ball screen. Play in the rearview and use your length to get around, but don't close all the way to his body. Exercise control and discipline to avoid that rear-end collision.

Another effective way to combat the double drag is to not deal with it at all. Get the ball out of Young's hands and force John Collins to make a pass or Cam Reddish to create his own shot. Trapping at 85 feet can be an option, but so can a smart blitz if you have a mobile big man.

Early in the season in a two-game series against Charlotte, the Hornets had some success forcing Young to give up the ball and, more importantly, not letting him get it back.

The Hornets would commit a help-side defender on the drive or throw two bodies at him earlier. Once Young passed the ball, the defender went into full denial mode with no responsibility to help, while the Hornets dropped back into a junk zone. Young isn't always eager to work off the ball, but when he did, the Hornets did what they could to limit pick-and-roll action. In general, denying defenders need to make sure not to position themselves too, too high, because Young can deke them with a back cut.

Young went 7-for-26 from the field over the two games, with only eight free throw attempts and 12 turnovers to 13 assists. Young excels as a creator for others, so teams are increasingly inviting him to shoot from distance, as electric as those successful attempts are as viral clips. The brilliance of Young's offensive game has a limit when he's forced to operate solo.

Time for the 'others' to make teams pay for this strategy. Too many times it's still 'hold the ball' waiting for Trae to get open. We have to have some other options available for the other players.

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Spud, try not to seize up with rage -- but here's a video of Steph dealing with constant traps and double teams. He's apparently mastered the art of the one-handed, cross-court pass to find open 3-pt shooters.

Trae should take note. (Unless he's too short.)

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Dumping the ball off to Green to create a 4-on-3 situation has long been Golden State's remedy to defenses sending two trapping defenders at Curry, but this season we've seen Curry create a different counter. He's throwing cross-court passes to shooters, often one-handed off the dribble, and putting them right on the money. As you can see, a lot of Curry's excellent passes this season have led to wide-open 3s that just haven't gone in.

Curry wasn't making these passes five years ago, partly because of the way the game has evolved. It's not that Curry couldn't have made these passes before, but his familiarity with defenses now, as a 32-year-old, has empowered him to make take those kind of risks.

CBS Sports

And as far as the gravity Steph carries when playing without the ball...just take a look.

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Just wait until we see this kid under an offensive guru in an elite NBA offensive scheme.

NBA young talent rankings: Top 10

1. Luka Doncic | 6-8 guard, 21 years old | Dallas Mavericks
2. Jayson Tatum | 6-8 wing, 22 years old | Boston Celtics
3. Zion Williamson | 6-6 forward, 20 years old | New Orleans Pelicans
4. Bam Adebayo | 6-9 big, 23 years old | Miami Heat
8. LaMelo Ball | 6-6 guard, 19 years old | Charlotte Hornets

7. Trae Young | 6-1 guard, 22 years old | Atlanta Hawks

Young remains an utterly elite offensive weapon not just in the construct of today’s game but genuinely in the history of the NBA...it’s absolutely preposterous for a 21-year-old to put up such impressive production.

Young still went into this season with questions, largely because those numbers from last season came on a losing team. Now on a Hawks team battling for a playoff berth, all Young is doing is averaging 26.9 points and 9.5 assists on a 60.8 true-shooting percentage. It is impossible to overstate how good he is as an offensive player, and he’s putting up those numbers while not even getting the most out of transition opportunities. Barring injury, we’re going to look back on the career numbers that Young puts up and be blown away.

We’re at the point now with Young where the whole conversation is going to shift to, “how good will he be in the playoffs?” Until we see it, there is going to be some natural skepticism. My take is that he’s going to be an absolute star offensively. He’s too good of a pull-up shooter and creator for his offensive game not to work. It’s too hard to defend him. Switch him with bigs, and he’ll beat those guys off the bounce. Play drop coverage, and he’s going to take side-step pull-up 3s and beat you that way. He’s always going to be able to beat you with his passing, which is his best skill. Importantly, the turnover issue he had last year while trying to do too much is down this year. His skill level is just exceptionally high in half-court settings, which is where most NBA games are played.

I do have some concerns on defense. I think there is a chance Young’s deficiencies get exacerbated in the playoffs where his opponents hunt mismatches against him. The question is simply whether or not it will be enough for him to maintain the superstar-level talent that ranking him this highly necessitates. We’ll see, but Young is unquestionably on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and I’d expect him to make quite a few All-NBA teams before his time is done.

The Athletic

[Spud2nique]

Just wait until we see this kid under an offensive guru in an elite NBA offensive scheme.

NBA young talent rankings: Top 10

1. Luka Doncic | 6-8 guard, 21 years old | Dallas Mavericks
2. Jayson Tatum | 6-8 wing, 22 years old | Boston Celtics
3. Zion Williamson | 6-6 forward, 20 years old | New Orleans Pelicans
4. Bam Adebayo | 6-9 big, 23 years old | Miami Heat
8. LaMelo Ball | 6-6 guard, 19 years old | Charlotte Hornets

7. Trae Young | 6-1 guard, 22 years old | Atlanta Hawks

Young remains an utterly elite offensive weapon not just in the construct of today’s game but genuinely in the history of the NBA...it’s absolutely preposterous for a 21-year-old to put up such impressive production.

Young still went into this season with questions, largely because those numbers from last season came on a losing team. Now on a Hawks team battling for a playoff berth, all Young is doing is averaging 26.9 points and 9.5 assists on a 60.8 true-shooting percentage. It is impossible to overstate how good he is as an offensive player, and he’s putting up those numbers while not even getting the most out of transition opportunities. Barring injury, we’re going to look back on the career numbers that Young puts up and be blown away.

We’re at the point now with Young where the whole conversation is going to shift to, “how good will he be in the playoffs?” Until we see it, there is going to be some natural skepticism. My take is that he’s going to be an absolute star offensively. He’s too good of a pull-up shooter and creator for his offensive game not to work. It’s too hard to defend him. Switch him with bigs, and he’ll beat those guys off the bounce. Play drop coverage, and he’s going to take side-step pull-up 3s and beat you that way. He’s always going to be able to beat you with his passing, which is his best skill. Importantly, the turnover issue he had last year while trying to do too much is down this year. His skill level is just exceptionally high in half-court settings, which is where most NBA games are played.

I do have some concerns on defense. I think there is a chance Young’s deficiencies get exacerbated in the playoffs where his opponents hunt mismatches against him. The question is simply whether or not it will be enough for him to maintain the superstar-level talent that ranking him this highly necessitates. We’ll see, but Young is unquestionably on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and I’d expect him to make quite a few All-NBA teams before his time is done.

The Athletic

Tatum is ahead of Trae? Couple of guys are overrated and Tatum is one here.

[HMFFL]

Just wait until we see this kid under an offensive guru in an elite NBA offensive scheme.

NBA young talent rankings: Top 10

1. Luka Doncic | 6-8 guard, 21 years old | Dallas Mavericks
2. Jayson Tatum | 6-8 wing, 22 years old | Boston Celtics
3. Zion Williamson | 6-6 forward, 20 years old | New Orleans Pelicans
4. Bam Adebayo | 6-9 big, 23 years old | Miami Heat
8. LaMelo Ball | 6-6 guard, 19 years old | Charlotte Hornets

7. Trae Young | 6-1 guard, 22 years old | Atlanta Hawks

Young remains an utterly elite offensive weapon not just in the construct of today’s game but genuinely in the history of the NBA...it’s absolutely preposterous for a 21-year-old to put up such impressive production.

Young still went into this season with questions, largely because those numbers from last season came on a losing team. Now on a Hawks team battling for a playoff berth, all Young is doing is averaging 26.9 points and 9.5 assists on a 60.8 true-shooting percentage. It is impossible to overstate how good he is as an offensive player, and he’s putting up those numbers while not even getting the most out of transition opportunities. Barring injury, we’re going to look back on the career numbers that Young puts up and be blown away.

We’re at the point now with Young where the whole conversation is going to shift to, “how good will he be in the playoffs?” Until we see it, there is going to be some natural skepticism. My take is that he’s going to be an absolute star offensively. He’s too good of a pull-up shooter and creator for his offensive game not to work. It’s too hard to defend him. Switch him with bigs, and he’ll beat those guys off the bounce. Play drop coverage, and he’s going to take side-step pull-up 3s and beat you that way. He’s always going to be able to beat you with his passing, which is his best skill. Importantly, the turnover issue he had last year while trying to do too much is down this year. His skill level is just exceptionally high in half-court settings, which is where most NBA games are played.

I do have some concerns on defense. I think there is a chance Young’s deficiencies get exacerbated in the playoffs where his opponents hunt mismatches against him. The question is simply whether or not it will be enough for him to maintain the superstar-level talent that ranking him this highly necessitates. We’ll see, but Young is unquestionably on a Hall of Fame trajectory, and I’d expect him to make quite a few All-NBA teams before his time is done.

The Athletic

Tatum is ahead of Trae? Couple of guys are overrated and Tatum is one here.

I do believe Tatum is overrated to some degree. He plays both ends of the court, but while he receives comparisons to his idol Kobe Bryant, I have never seen the alpha in Tatum. In both the regular season and postseason he just goes with the flow and doesn't dominate the ball.


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The Next Hawks Coach Will Have to Solve the Trae Young Puzzle

Atlanta fired Lloyd Pierce after the team’s playoff push fizzled out. His successor will need to figure out how to build an offense around the team's star guard.



Lloyd Pierce, like so many coaches, was fired for reasons mostly outside of his control...the dilemma that his replacement will have to deal with: How much can, and should, Trae Young play off the ball?

The Hawks gave Young the keys to the offense from day one. He has been one of the most ball-dominant guards in the NBA over the past three seasons. Young has put up massive individual numbers as a result, but none of that has translated to team success. The Hawks were one of the worst teams in the NBA in his first two seasons, and have a 14-20 record with a net rating of minus-0.3 this season.

Spoiler:

There’s good and bad that comes with being in total control of the offense. It’s easy for Young to get into a rhythm because he always has the ball, but that also means he doesn’t have anyone to set him up for easier shots when he’s struggling. The most telling statistic, per Synergy Sports, is that only 8 percent of his shots this season have come in catch-and-shoot situations, compared to the 39.2 percent that he shoots off the dribble.

It’s an unusual situation for such a young point guard to be in. Trae came into the league after one season of college, and was immediately thrown into the fire right away. There was no apprenticeship period for him to learn the NBA game and develop physically while playing a smaller role in the offense. Ironically enough, the one other point guard who was asked to do everything right away is Luka Doncic...

Young has never had much help in Atlanta. The team’s offense has completely fallen apart as soon as he’s come off the floor in each of his first three seasons. The Hawks go from an offensive rating of 115.4 with Trae to 101.8 without him. That’s the difference between the no. 7 offense in the NBA and no. 30.

There are two red flags from this season:

• The first is their crunch time performance.
• The second is the aftermath from an argument in the film room between Young and John Collins.

The running theme through both issues is the way Trae dominates the ball. Collins wanted the Hawks to play a more free-flowing style that allowed multiple players to control the ball. It’s hard to read Trae’s lack of aggressiveness during the follwing game as anything but a dig at Collins, with him essentially saying, “Look at what happens when I’m in a smaller role on offense.”

But that argument goes the other way when it comes to crunch time. Young is in charge of everything in those moments, and he has not been particularly effective. Young will almost certainly get better with time in the fourth quarter. He doesn’t have much experience in big games at the NBA level because the Hawks were so bad in his first two seasons. He’s still five to six years away from his prime. The question for Atlanta is what its offense should look like at that point.

In the postseason, defenses will force a ball-dominant point guard to give up the ball. A one-man offense can go only so far. The Hawks are nowhere near ready for that, largely because Young isn’t.

That’s why their next coach is so important. They will have to design an offense that empowers more than one player. More importantly, they will have to get Young to buy in to a more balanced system. Pierce didn’t have much choice but to let his star point guard be the system in Atlanta. Until Young learns to give that up, the Hawks will always have a ceiling.

The Ringer

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Trae has been involved with the coaches on the team and the players that kneeled.

Young reacts to commentator’s prejudice Norman comments; says players, coaches are on his AAU team

https://www.peachtreehoops.com/platform/amp/2021/3/19/22339804/trae-young-reacts-norman-broadcast-prejudice-comments-atlanta-hawks-quotes-aau-team

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In the clip below, I see Trae playing off ball and getting catch-and-shoot opportunities for easy buckets. But Trae's got to learn to move without the ball.

Baby steps, I guess. This is clearly a step in the right direction. Hopefully we see more off ball screens used next season.

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