Atlanta Hawks: 3 Players Named to Bleacher Report’s Top 100
By Chris Guest
Second Honorable Mention: Trae Young
After an amazing game-winner against the San Antonio Spurs to cap off a solid preseason, expectations, which were already high, are now at a fever pitch for the Atlanta Hawks’ new point guard Trae Young.
The Hawks passed on Luka Doncic in favor of Young, so unfair expectations have already been placed upon Young’s slight but sturdy shoulders to start his career. Though the burden of future Hawks’ greatness rests squarely with Ice Trae, his ability to cannily operate in the pick-and-roll, spread the floor with his wild long-distance shooting and thread passes through the tiniest of windows has already been impressive.
The “eye test” tells you that Young belongs on the court.
Even if his size and lack of defensive instincts makes him a massive negative on the less glamorous end, that is not why the Atlanta Hawks drafted him.
As the BR story says: “Merely launching off-the-dribble missiles provides value, and cleaner lanes play into his wildly underrated passing ability. Coupled with the carte-blanche volume the Hawks will bestow upon him, Young should not be written out of the Rookie of the Year race and the top-100 status that honor usually guarantees.”