Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: The 7 Best Young Assets on the Team

By Dallin Duffy

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Taurean Prince #12 and John Collins #20 of the USA team pose for a portrait prior to the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 16: Taurean Prince #12 and John Collins #20 of the USA team pose for a portrait prior to the Mountain Dew Kickstart Rising Stars Game during All-Star Friday Night as part of 2018 NBA All-Star Weekend at the STAPLES Center on February 16, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 21: Trae Young (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images)
BROOKLYN, NY – JUNE 21: Trae Young (Photo by Jennifer Pottheiser/NBAE via Getty Images) /

3.  Trae Young

We get it, Hawks fans wanted Luka. And even though I’ll admit I was upset when Woj was originally describing the outline of the trade, I quickly warmed to the idea of Trae in the ATL (or TraeTL, if you will). For starters, he brings a much-needed level of mainstream stardom that the team hasn’t seen since the early years of the Joe Johnson era.

He gained that level of prominence while at the University of Oklahoma, where he delivered one of the best collegiate seasons in recent history. He led the nation in both points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game, being named a consensus All-American at year’s end.

The nearly 30 points a contest really jump off the page and while he will get less minutes (at least to start) in the pros, if he averages close to 27 for the Hawks, he could really make Schlenk look like a genius for the trade.

With Young, the Hawks have a great shooter with the potential to be a great overall PG. His playmaking was overshadowed by his lights-out offense and mostly lackluster defense but he has real strength in running an offense. As noted before, his assist numbers were incredible and his usage percentage was at a staggering 37%, which would have been 7 points higher than the next highest on the Hawks last season.

There’s a real boom-or-bust feeling with Young, as his defense will probably never even be around league average, and if his jumper fails to translate to the pros, Young could be a huge failure. But if he continues to make strides as a passer and a scorer, he could become the star Atlanta needs.

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