Hawks’ Trae Young leads NBA in total points

Trae Young, who was an All-Star starter and averaged 29.6 points per game in Year 2, is off to a strong start in Year 3.

Through the Hawks’ 3-0 run — with wins against Chicago, Memphis and Detroit — Young is leading the NBA in total points with 102 (34 points per game). He scored 37 vs. Chicago, 36 vs. Memphis and 29 vs. Detroit. In points per game, Young trails only Houston’s James Harden (39), who has played in only two games.

Young also leads the league in free throws made per game (14) and free throws attempted per game (15.3), which has helped the Hawks as a team lead the league in FTM (28.3), FTA (33) and FT% (85%).

The Hawks’ first three opponents are a combined 1-8, but it’s a good sign that the Hawks have been able to finish games in an easier stretch of the schedule. They face a huge test Wednesday against the Nets (2-2), contending with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

“Being 3-0, it’s great for us, and for me, it’s all about taking it one game at a time and we’ve done that so far,” Young said. “Now we’re going up to Brooklyn and obviously playing a really good team, and we’ve got to go up there and play with the same type of energy and same type of effort.

“So I’m just excited to go up there and compete with my guys again, and I’m super-excited about this team. This team is going to be super-fun to play with, just need to get everybody healthy, and it’ll be fun.”