Atlanta Hawks: Dunc’d On Pod Ranks Trae Young as Top 15 PG in NBA
By Chris Guest
A quick look at where the Dunc’d On Basketball Podcast ranks Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks among all NBA point guards.
Nate Duncan and Danny Leroux of the Dunc’d On Basketball Podcast (and Duncan in particular) were vociferous in their praise for Trae Young heading into the 2018 NBA Draft. While they thought Luka Doncic was a better prospect, as did everyone, Duncan ranked Trae as the second-best prospect in the draft ahead of Deandre Ayton and Jaren Jackson Jr..
In hindsight that analysis is looking correct, as Doncic and Young are locked in a tight battle for Rookie of the Year, which will, hopefully, see them both win the award at season’s end.
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Recently, Duncan and Leroux ranked the best point guards in the NBA, and Young, in his age-20 rookie season immediately vaulted into the top 15. Both Leroux and Duncan had Young as the 13th best point guard in the NBA, surrounded by players such as De’Aaron Fox, Jamal Murray, Spencer Dinwiddie and D’Angelo Russell.
Here are a few tidbits from the duo’s most recent podcast episode:
Duncan’s quotes on Young were fairly effusive, calling him a “big-time positive on offense” who “gets to the rim more, gets to the foul line more” than Russell. Duncan capped it off by saying “most rookies aren’t good and don’t help you win, and Young is fighting against that.”
Though Leroux was realistic about Trae’s one glaring weakness, calling Young “one of the worst defenders in the league, if not the worst,” he also called Young a tone-setter, which is important for the upper-echelon players in these rankings:
“I much prefer Trae Young as a tone-setter because I think he’s a better passer and a more willing passer and because, when I watch the Hawks and he’s on the floor, they look like a completely different team in a good way,” Leroux said.
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Clearly, Duncan and Leroux are high on Young’s upside, and it seems the league at large is catching up. The Atlanta Hawks are in a great position going forward, and it will be fun to watch this team develop as the years go on.