Hawks rookie Trae Young’s deep shooting slump continues

Hawks rookie Trae Young's shooting struggles continued in his final game at the Utah Jazz Summer League.

Hawks guard Tyler Dorsey whipped a pass to teammate Trae Young, who was standing alone at three-point line. Young collected the pass and took his time before letting the shot fly.

Finally, the ball fell through the net. Young paused and took a deep breath before heading back up court.

Young’s first three-pointer came on his eighth attempt, with about one minute left in the 92-87 Hawks loss. It was Young’s only three-pointer of the night and just his third make in 23 attempts over three games at the Utah Jazz Summer League.

It was just one shot in a game that doesn’t count. But, after a brutal week of shooting for Young, it was something for him to build on as the Hawks head to the Las Vegas Summer League this weekend.

“That last three made me feel really good about going into Vegas, so I’m excited,” Young said.

That Young was so relieved to make that shot suggests that all the misses were weighing on him. His 23 percent shooting from the field was the worst mark among players who appeared in all three games and logged at least 30 minutes.

Young showed good play-making ability and defensive effort in Utah, but the poor shooting was the focus of public scrutiny because of his high profile.  He gained fame at Oklahoma for his long-range shooting and prolific scoring but attracted critics when his shooting fell off late in the season.

Those detractors resurfaced as he continued to clang shots in summer league.

“You hear it,” Young said. “Every time you turn on the TV everybody is talking about it. But I’m fine. I’ve been through it. In college I went through it. This is just what I do. I play basketball and I have fun.

“When the shots falling everything is going to start changing. I’m not worried because if the only thing that’s not going well for me is my shots, that’s a scary sign.”

Young was 3-for-16 overall in the 92-87 loss to the Jazz. He recorded six assists but also had six turnovers, including four in seven minutes during the fourth quarter.

After Young’s latest bad shooting game, Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce repeated the same refrain: Young eventually will make shots, and that’s not the focus anyway.

“I evaluate Trae on is he creating separation. . . where he’s at his biggest strength, which is facilitating,” Pierce said. “It’s more about did he create for his teammates. That’s the most important part for a starting point guard that we drafted. How many shots can he create, is he facilitating and is he making the right decisions when he has the ball in his hands.”

The circumstances of summer league games have contributed to Young’s poor shooting.

Defenders tended to crowd Young at the three-point line to prevent clean looks and the overall poor shooting by the Hawks in the three games meant there was less space on the floor to drive. Also, the higher foul limits for the team penalty and individual disqualifications (10 for both) meant that defenders could be physical with Young off the dribble.

However, save for the second half of Tuesday’s game against the Spurs, Young struggled to finish at the rim when he did make it there. He was 9-for-28 on two-point attempts over the three games in Utah.

“I’m not going to look at the stat sheet,” Pierce said. “It doesn’t bother me one bit. The kid is a great shooter, he will be a great shooter. He is a great passer. He has shown that. And we are going to give him every opportunity to continue in that role.”

Young totaled 13 assists in the three games in Utah with 11 turnovers. Both numbers likely would be better if Young were playing alongside experienced NBA players in official games with more structure and less fouling.

Still, Young is going to continue to draw scrutiny until he starts making more shots.

“I think I played pretty well besides the fact I haven’t been knocking down shots,” Young said. “That’s the one thing. I’m playing defense. I’m competing on both ends. Eventually they are going to start falling and I’m not worried about it.”