Soaring Down South
Fansided

2018 NBA Draft: Hawks Should Select Trae Young 3rd Overall

By Chris Guest

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 07: Oklahoma Sooners guard Trae Young (11) in the first half of a first round matchup in the Big 12 Basketball Championship between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys on March 7, 2018 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 07: Oklahoma Sooners guard Trae Young (11) in the first half of a first round matchup in the Big 12 Basketball Championship between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys on March 7, 2018 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 2
Next
NORMAN, OK – MARCH 02: Trae Young (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK – MARCH 02: Trae Young (Photo by David Stacy/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The top-heavy 2018 NBA Draft is littered with spectacular big men prospects, but upper-echelon point guards are a bit thinner in the ranks – with Young being the only point man expected to go in the top 10 (perhaps Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of Kentucky or Lonnie Walker IV of Miami might crack those ranks too).

Young dominated the entire sports scene when the NCAA basketball season began, as he dropped scoring eruptions of 39 points, 43 points (twice), 44 points and an incredible 48 points between late November and late January during the NCCA season.

He was able to put up these gaudy totals on the back of some incredible shooting from distance, as well as a reliable safety blanket at the free throw line (where he shot 86.1% at Oklahoma).

One need only take a gander at some of his highlights to see that Young is one of the best shooters in the draft, and perhaps one of the best shooters college basketball has ever seen:

Young’s range is almost limitless, as he showed the ability to pull up off the dribble from beyond 30 feet or – dare we say it – Stephen Curry range?

During his time in Oklahoma, Young had the ball in his hands as the primary offensive initiator for much of his time on the floor, and he showed immense potential as a pick-and-roll ballhandler.

Not only was he a scoring machine (leading the country in scoring at 27.4 PPG), but he also led the NCAA in assists at 8.7 APG. Stunning court vision, and the ability to make both easy reads and simple passes, as well as much more difficult wraparound or lead passes downcourt makes Young a lethal offensive prospect.

For the Hawks, taking Young 3rd overall might be seen as a stretch, but his offensive potential is incredible, and his feel is probably second only to Slovenian phenom Luka Doncic’s in this draft class. Also, Young has already provided his list of teams he’ll work out for — and Atlanta is included:

With current point guard Dennis Schröder likely not long for the team after expressing dissatisfaction with the direction of the franchise, Young could immediately slide into the starting role and probably provide a stark upgrade over Schröder’s somewhat limited offensive skill set.

On defense, Young has some questions marks, but that shouldn’t particularly be a concern for Atlanta, as so does Schröd, who also does not have the offensive upside that Young does.

Next: 4 Players on Hawks Radar Who Returned to College

All draft picks are risky (with a few exceptions), so the Hawks taking Trae Young as high as 3rd might be seen as a big-time reach. If he can fulfill the promise of his seemingly transcendent offensive skill set, the Hawks could be looking at the next Steph Curry for years to come in their uniform.