Atlanta Hawks: Could Trae Young Notch 20 PPG and 10 APG in 19-20?
By Chris Guest
A primer on what the 2019-20 season might bring for Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young.
The Atlanta Hawks nabbed one of the best players in the 2018 NBA Draft when they took Trae Young at #5 overall after trading with the Dallas Mavs for feted Slovenian wing Luka Doncic.
While both players had tremendous rookie campaigns (and should have been named Co-Rookies of the Year), the trade actually seemed to work out well for both sides, meaning the avalanche of takes regarding it being “the worst trade of the century” for the Hawks were a tad premature.
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Nevertheless, Young produced some striking statistics in his first year in the NBA, including his per-game averages of 19.1 points per game and 8.1 assists per contest. Both of those numbers were easily the best by an Atlanta Hawks rookie, which cemented Trae’s place as the best rookie in franchise history.
However, per Basketball Reference, those numbers also marked only the third time a rookie had produced such a staggering stat line. The other two times? The Big O, Oscar Robertson, in 1960-61 and Damon Stoudamire for the Toronto Raptors in 1995-96.
After watching Ice Trae play in all but one game last season, one could reasonably expect his numbers to improve next year as he continues to adjust to the speed of the game and roast opposing defenders off the dribble with his handle, speed and passing acumen.
Could Young up his totals to 20 points and 10 assists per game?
That seems extremely probable and even likely, as long as he continues to play the same way and he hits his three-pointer at a higher clip than 32.4 percent.
If Trae were to produce a 20-PPG, 10-APG season, he would become just the 13th player in NBA history according to Basketball Reference to produce such a line during a season. Though it has happened 27 times, 12 players have monopolized those season-long averages.
Multiple Hall of Famers and future Hall of Famers are on the list such as The Big O, Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, Tiny Archibald, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and James Harden as well as perennial All-Stars such as Deron Williams, Kevin Johnson, John Wall and Tim Hardaway.
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Trae Young has one of the brightest future in the NBA, and his quest for 20 and 10 (or more) will be a joy to behold in 2019-20 for the Atlanta Hawks.