Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young is the Offensive Fulcrum Atlanta Needs
By Chris Guest
Passing
Returning back to that list of the top 4 in drives per game, Young is producing some of the most sparkling passing numbers of those 4 elite-level talents.
Out of his 16.8 drives per game, Young is passing 7.5 times per game, which ranks 3rd behind Westbrook and Derozan. Young’s pass percentage of 44.3 percent is second only to Westbrook’s sky-high 49.6 percent among the league leaders in drives per game. Young’s assist percentage of 13.4 percent off drives to the rim also only trails Westbrook’s 14.1 percent.
Overall, Young’s raw assist numbers on the year are staggering – especially for a rookie point guard. The Atlanta Hawks first-year player is currently 8th in the league in total assists with 318, 10th in the league in assists per game with 7.2 and 9th in the league in assist rate at 37.2 percent. That’s not too shabby for a rookie point guard through the first 40+ games of his NBA career.
Beyond that, according to Inpredictable, Young’s Assist Win Probability Added of 8.97 is 9th in the league behind only luminaries such as Westbrook, Harden, Ben Simmons, Nikola Jokic and Kevin Durant.
Young’s passing, at this point, is the clear focal point of the Atlanta Hawks offense, and the team’s offensive rating improves by 1.3 points per 100 possessions when he is on the court, which is the third-highest jump on the team behind only John Collins and Kevin Huerter.