LOS ANGELES – Confetti fell, Randy Newman blared, and Trae Young was an inch or two away from a game-winner. The rookie wisely did not force a shot from deep while the Atlanta Hawks were down by one in the waning moments of their game against the Los Angeles Lakers, choosing instead to split the defense and make his way into an open lane to attempt the floater he’s been working on mastering, only for 36-year-old Tyson Chandler to bat it away mere milliseconds before it would have gone from a spectacular block to goaltending.
The result was disappointing, but the decision wasn’t.
Young battled. Even before he embraced being asked to win the game, he showed signs of emerging out of his November shooting slump, going 8-for-18 from the field including 4-of-8 from deep. But he also did what he’s done throughout the early portion of his professional career, racking up 12 assists and forcing Luke Walton to bring in Josh Hart over Lonzo Ball for physicality to aid in blitzing Young’s pick-and-roll prowess.
The rookie has logged 9.9 assists per game in November — 8.2 a night on the season — and has committed to learning on the fly as he seeks to make the right read with the ball in his hands. The shotmaking will come, especially off ball, but passing is where Young can make his mark right now. It’s also something of an ace in the hole to always take pressure off the first-year guard.
“We’ve been trying to inform him that we want to make his job easier as well,” Hawks forward Taurean Prince told Dime, “from the bigs to myself and Kent [Bazemore], we’re all here. It’s kind of different from college, when not all four around you are as talented. But now he has a lot of help around him. I think he’s one of those guys at the point guard position who can end up with a double-double every single night as long as he trusts his teammates.”
The Oklahoma product has a reputation for being a gunner, and his shot selection in college left something to be desired at times. But he was head and shoulders the best player on his team during his year in Norman, and when that happens (whether it’s in college, high school, or AAU ball), hero ball sometimes gives your team the best opportunity to win. To Young’s credit, he did a remarkable job of it, finishing his freshman campaign with a true shooting percentage of 58.5 and an assist percentage of 48.5, the best mark in America.
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It takes time for players to adjust to the pro game for a variety of reasons: speed, physicality, the sheer number of games, and the increased competition. There’s also the trust that goes with that, especially on a younger team. Young was tasked out of the gate with living up to his Top 5 draft status, shouldering the load of the hype and expectations that go along with this distinction.
His shot-making prowess was well-documented from his high school years, and it’d be easy for him to lean into that. The peril, of course, is what happens if you back yourself into becoming a one-dimensional scorer who can’t get your shot going? That’s been the case, as Young’s shooting has been cold of late. November hasn’t been kind to him; in seven games he’s shooting 39.5 percent from the floor and 17.9 percent from deep. (He’s shooting just 41.1 percent on the year and 26.7 percent from deep on the year.)
And yet, his team — and his coach — are encouraged with the rookie’s growth. That comes from his passing and the increased leadership he’s developing on the court.
“Whenever everybody else is knocking down shots and I’m getting everybody involved,” Young said after the loss to the Lakers. “I think that just opens up my game even more. I haven’t been doing a great job of knocking down shots and making plays for my team. I just need to continue to work.”
The Hawks more than held their own against the Lakers and Warriors on the road, and are still without John Collins, who gives them an explosive big man the likes of which they’ve yet to see this season. Just as it’s taken time for Young to adjust to the pro game, it’s taken his teammates time to adjust to him as well. While Dennis Schröder was a more than capable NBA point guard, he never possessed the vision and technique that Young has, nor does he have the ability to lure defenders into a false sense of security.
When Young’s doubled, he doesn’t immediately rotate the ball, instead looking to draw the defender(s) deeper and seek out an easier opportunity for his teammates. As long as they get into the right spot, he has the ability to get it to them.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Young dribbled under the hoop with three puppy-like defenders trailing behind him chasing the ball. Rather than panic or get trapped, Young took his time, curling and drawing the Lakers away from the basket until Alex Len slipped under. Young calmly got it to him for any easy dunk. A minute later, Young ran the same play for another Len dunk. On the next possession, Len hauled in a defensive rebound and Young buried a deep three to put the Hawks up, 102-98.
That sequence would’ve been impressive on its own from a seasoned veteran like Steve Nash or Chris Paul, but from a rookie on the road? It’s indicative of what Hawks GM Travis Schlenk saw in Young to pass up on taking European wunderkind Luka Doncic and instead trade down two spots (and acquire a pick in the process). Having a guy like Young will help the other Hawks players get comfortable as well, which is unspeakably valuable for a team short on wins and long on lessons (to paraphrase from former Cavs coach Tyronn Lue).
Even in these losses, the team has to take away positives and continually take steps forward. It all leads to building trust, both in each other and in the fact that Young will find his teammates.
“It takes a lot of pressure off myself mentally,” Prince says. “He does that for a lot of guys, especially the bigs. Imagine the big who is setting all these screens and not touching the ball. For a guy who gets everybody involved, he’s just great.”
