To be blunt, Trae Young has had one of the most inefficient starts in NBA history. The rookie is shooting an abysmal 25% from three and 38.3% overall. He is already being labeled as a bust. But Young’s rough start means absolutely nothing.
The enigma that is Trae Young started during his sole collegiate season at the University of Oklahoma. Young was the 23rd ranked high school player going into college and wasn’t faced with huge expectations. But he quickly got the attention of the entire nation with his deep threes, pinpoint passes, and confident personality. Young averaged an incredible 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per-game in his one college season. Young was drafted to the Atlanta Hawks with the 5th pick and immediately became the face of the franchise.
Despite all the hype, Young has yet to live up to his lofty expectations. In fact, he has been downright horrible so far this year. He currently has the third worst win shares in the NBA, he has the sixth most turnovers per game, he is getting beat on defense by almost everyone he guards, and his shooting percentages are historically bad. Nonetheless, Young is still jacking up shots left and right as he’s attempting over 14 field goals per game. He even receives more passes per game than All Stars such as LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Stephen Curry. He has all the signs of a bust. But he’s not. Not yet at least.
Young has been inefficient. But he’s only 20 years old and is playing one of the hardest positions in sports. Point guard is the quarterback of basketball and it has an incredibly steep learning curve. No wonder Young is struggling with his shot when he’s still learning how to initiate his new team’s offense and analyze NBA defenses. To make it even more difficult, Young is under constant scrutiny from social media. What we witnessed during his stint at Oklahoma wasn’t a fluke. Young is far too talented to shoot this poorly long term. Once Young adjusts to the intricacies of NBA life, his shooting is sure to follow.
Even though Young has been scrutinized for his inefficient play, he has actually performed very well in certain areas. To start off with, Young won the Rookie of the Month award for November. Some analysts have questioned if Young was actually deserving of this award, but it’s still impressive. From the outside, Young’s stats actually look very impressive. Averaging 15.5 points and 7.2 assists as a rookie is pretty good. It’s only when you look deeper within the stats when you see Young’s real struggles.
The most notable aspects of Young’s game have been his passing and driving abilities. Young currently ranks fifth in assists percentage at 38.5% and his 7.2 assists per game ranks 11th. Creating this many assists on a poor team is very impressive and you can immediately see Young’s terrific court vision just by watching him play. Young’s ability to finish around the rim with layups and floaters has helped him overcome his poor shooting. He is averaging the fifth most drives per game over players like Giannis Antetokounmpo and Russell Westbrook and is 15th in points per game off of drives. Despite Young’s smaller 6′ 2″, 180-pound frame, his ability to attack the basket and finish around taller defenders will be extremely useful throughout his career.
Trae Young’s start to his NBA career has been less that smooth. He has faced extreme inefficiencies on both offense and defense, and he has already been labeled as a potential bust by some. But don’t worry Hawks fans, because Young’s rough start is nothing to worry about. His poor shooting is merely a by-product of the extensive adjustment to playing point guard in the NBA. Once his shooting comes around, I believe that Young’s dynamic combination of shooting, passing, and driving will make him one of the most electrifying players in the NBA.