Trae Young, Oklahoma
6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Three college highlights
1. Trae Young’s rise was as meteoric as any college basketball player in recent memory. The Young legend began in earnest in his fifth career game against favored Oregon. In that game, Young did as he pleased, slithering in and out of the paint, knocking down shots from nearly every spot in the halfcourt. He finished the game with 43 points on just 22 shots, a win for his team, and a new cult following.
2. Riding a 13-game stretch in which he averaged 37.2 points per game, Young set a career-high 48 points and added eight assists on the road against Oklahoma State. He started the game 1-for-6 in the first 11 minutes, then exploded down the stretch, scoring 34 points in the second half and overtime. Yet, the fourth-ranked Sooners fell by two points in overtime. It was the beginning of a rough second half of the season for Oklahoma, who grew increasingly reliant on Young to create everything, even as teams focused entirely on him.
3. Teams clamped down defensively on Young later in the season as his mythos became reknowned throughout college basketball. In Oklahoma’s first and only Big 12 Tournament game, Young shot just 33 percent from the field despite scoring 22 points. He had just five assists and four turnovers in the game, as Oklahoma fell to Oklahoma State by 11 points.
Scouting report
Strengths: Young’s shooting ability is well-known. Given his extraordinarily high usage, Young’s 36 percent 3-point percentage isn’t nearly indicative of the caliber of shooter he is; Young might be the best pure shooter in the draft, and is unquestionably the best shooter off-the-dribble. He lit up team after team at Oklahoma, becoming a national sensation in the process. What could be lost on the casual fan is Young’s sensational passing ability. On a team largely devoid of talent outside of him, Young led the nation with 8.7 assists per game. He’s the only player in NCAA history to ever lead the nation in both points and assists. Coupling that unselfishness with range that extends out to the mid-court logo, Young has the makings of an offensive juggernaut in the NBA for years to come.
Weaknesses: He’s listed at 6-foot-2, but is generally considered to be shorter than that. As Travis Schlenk draftee Stephen Curry can attest, small stature doesn’t preclude NBA stardom. But it won’t help. For that reason, it seems like Young will never develop into an above-average NBA defender. If his offensive game translates smoothly to the NBA, all will be forgiven. But if his offense falters at all, Young could struggle to stay on the floor.
How he fits with the Hawks
Young’s arrival likely signals the beginning of the end of the Dennis Schroeder era in Atlanta, one way or another. In Young, Schlenk sees a Curry-esque talent to help shepherd the Hawks’ rebuild. Young could be the team’s go-to scorer from day one in Atlanta, and could even figure into Rookie of the Year discussion by year’s end if he sustains his shooting pace from college. There will be growing pains, as there were in Oklahoma, but in Young the Hawks see their prolific point guard of the future.
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