Atlanta Hawks: 2018-19 Season in Review for Trae Young

As we continue our review of the Atlanta Hawks’ ’18-’19 roster, let’s take a look at one of the cornerstone players in Trae Young.

Trae Young was selected fifth overall by the Dallas Mavericks, in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, he was quickly traded for Luka Doncic who was selected third by the Atlanta Hawks.

Prior to the season, critics, fans and reporters questioned if the Atlanta Hawks did the right thing by trading the rights to Doncic. Young proved the haters and basketball critics wrong with his effort, heart, determination and play.

At the beginning of the season, Young struggled to adjust to the physicality and speed of the game but he continued to stay the course. At the end of the season, he averaged 19.1 points, 8.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds while shooting 41.8 percent from the floor.

Before the trade deadline, Ice Trae learned from Jeremy Lin who would eventually be traded to the Toronto Raptors. Young broke the starting lineup at the beginning of the season under first-year coach Lloyd Pierce.

Despite his early struggles, he became a fan favorite for the Hawks and the city of Atlanta embraced him. Obviously, after trading for Young, Atlanta plans to build their franchise around him.

Next year, the expectations for the 20-year-old will rise but for now let’s review his rookie season in Atlanta, starting with the initial expectations he had coming into the 2018-19 season.