The Atlanta Hawks made the biggest and most controversial move of the NBA Draft, dealing the No. 3 pick (which became Luka Doncic) to the Mavericks for the No. 5 pick (which became Trae Young) and a 2019 top-5 protected pick.
The Hawks have needs at basically every position and the goal was to bring in additional assets while also targeting a player that the organization clearly was enamored by in Young. That said, Young was the most polarizing prospect at the top of this draft class, as some believed he could become the next superstar point guard in the league in a Steph Curry-like mold while others have significant concerns about his size, defense, and shot selection.
The truth will likely be somewhere in the middle, but whenever there is a player as divisive as Young every result early in his career will be used as evidence for one side or the other. On Monday night, Young made his NBA debut for the Hawks Summer League squad in Utah and it didn’t go as planned for the fifth pick, as he had 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two turnovers in 29 minutes of action, but shot 4-for-20 from the field including a dismal 1-for-11 night from three-point range. That was in stark contrast to Jaren Jackson Jr. on the other side lighting it up from three.
Young missed his first 10 shots and just flat out looked off, which isn’t ideal for a player so many have expected to be, at the least, a quality shooter and scorer in the league. The takes in Atlanta were flying about Young’s showing, but his debut serves as a reminder to take a step back and breathe before making sweeping declarations about a young player’s performance in Summer League, whether good or bad.
This is going to be my sixth summer spent in the desert watching Summer League hoops and in that time I’ve seen an awful lot of good and bad from top rookies. It’s easy to fall into the trap of wanting to call someone a bust after four games of spotty play or to declare someone the next star because they shined for two weeks in Las Vegas.
You’ll know the guys that belong in the NBA almost immediately, because there’s just a way they play that’s so different from everyone else on the floor who are fighting for training camp invites. However, beyond that there isn’t a lot to take away from a Summer League performance. The talent level is not the same as in the NBA and the teams lack any semblance of continuity on either end of the floor.
Because of that, the best players often have chances to show out, especially guards that are on the ball, but if it’s a player like Young, who can fall into bad habits with regards to shot selection, it’s pretty easy for things to go off the rails without much in the way of help steering you in the right direction. Young will very likely have a great game this summer where he looks like the guy who lit up the NCAA in the first half of the season. That will also probably not be reflective of what he will be in the NBA as a rookie.
Summer League action can be a great tool for fans to let you know who may be on your favorite team’s roster next season and just, generally, become a bit more knowledgable about guys further down the bench around the league. It can give you a glimpse at the strengths and weaknesses of your new star rookie, as well, showing what you can somewhat expect from him. It can confirm that last year’s rookie is going to be just fine and is way too good now to be out there playing against these guys scrapping for roster spots. However, Summer League will never tell you, definitively, that someone is going to be a star or a bust.
