3 things Trae Young must do to become the best point guard in the NBA
As the NBA speeds into the future, Trae Young is one of the players that will push the NBA forward. Young's ability to get whatever shot he wants with crafty movement and ball handling is causing many pundits to rethink the 2018 draft day trade that sent him to the Atlanta Hawks and Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks. Trae Young had to firmly take a semblance of respect with his outstanding play, and now that he's receiving the adulation he deserves, what are the three things that Trae Young needs to do to become the best point guard in the NBA?
Trae Young the three point assassin
In three seasons, Trae Young has put the NBA on notice that he will be one of the best players in the NBA for the next decade. The 6'1", 180 pound guard out of Oklahoma was the fifth pick in the 2018 draft. At Oklahoma, Trae Young put on a shooting display from long range that was a precursor to what Trae Young is doing now against the men in the NBA.
NBA All-Star
Trae Young just dropped his signature shoe, and everything up and coming superstars are afforded will come his way. Already an NBA All-Star, more is in store for the Lubbuck, TX native. Could Trae Young be transcendent? There's a lot of time to figure that out, yet for now, we're seeing special players become even more special. How can Trae Young become the best point guard in the NBA?
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Having said that, Trae Young can still reach new levels by adding certain elements to his game. Without further ado, let's take a look at what they are.
#3 Defense
This era is all about three-point shots, and while frustrating, all it takes is a bigger focus on defense. Trae Young is 6'1" and 180 pounds, so there's not much he can do physically on defense unless his man is of comparable size. Young, at least, seems willing. He has a long way to go to become an affective defender. Ben Simmons (106.1) had the lowest defensive rating last season, and Trae Young was 16 spots behind him at 116.1. It's interesting that many fail to see a reason why a great player only becomes greater if he attacks on the defensive end. Young is decent in the passing lanes off deflections, yet his on-ball defense is not that good at all. It will be great to see him improve and become the best at his position, yet, will he?
Reminder that Trae Young is a top 2 passer in the NBA and he’s not 2.
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#2 Picking up the blitz on pick and rolls
Because of his size, teams are blitzing Trae Young to either get the ball out of his hands, disrupt Atlanta's timing, or create turnovers. When the defender comes his way, he's not tall enough to pass over the double team. This disrupts the Atlanta offense and usually, a player is receiving a pass he's not ready for. It also doesn't help that Trae Young drives left, yet doesn't stay left. He'll switch over to his dominant hand on drives which becomes predictable at the rim. If he sees the blitz coming, one room for improvement would be to either pass out of the double team or drive through it before it develops.
#1 Transcending the Atlanta Hawks
Trae Young, barring injury, will be one of the best players in the NBA before you know it. Wherever a great player in the league is mentioned, at this point, that conversation must include Trae Young. The Atlanta Hawks have been a decent franchise in their history, yet with Trae Young, will Hawks brass understand that the time is now to take full advantage of Trae Young's skillset and will to win?
Accordingly, Trae Young will be seen as a face of the NBA, and whether the Atlanta Hawks begin to win when it matters, depends on how much Hawks GM Travis Schlenk wants to win an NBA championship. Of course, the object is to win as a team, yet as time moves on, Trae Young has to understand his time in the NBA is fleeting, and to become the best point guard in the NBA, he must see himself outside the box of his team. He's not selfish, he's more understanding of his worth, and extends that worth to his teammates so wins come by more easily.
Trae Young's usage rate of 32.9 last season challenged Michael Jordan's record usage rate of 33.2. He's unstoppable at times and now, like the player he'll always be compared to, Luka Doncic, all he needs is help.