Atlanta Hawks: Comparing Rookie Trae Young & Kevin Huerter to Stephen Curry & Klay Thompson

Young & Curry Conclusions

It must be said that rookie seasons rarely translate to what an NBA player will be throughout his career, though it might serve as at least a vague indicator of what to expect from players.

For example, Curry’s rookie season saw him play a ton of minutes for his team per Basketball Reference, but his 21.8 percent usage rate paled in comparison to Young’s usage rate in his rookie campaign of 28.4 percent, which was just outside the Top 20 for last season.

That 21.8 percent usage remains Curry’s lowest of his career, and the two-time MVP has logged usage rates above 30 percent for the past four seasons.

Perhaps the most notable disparity between the two guards is Curry’s automatic outside jumper, which has continued unabated to this day. Curry is clearly the greatest three-point shooter in NBA history, and Young could not even scrape past 33 percent in his rookie season.

Were Young’s striking displays of three-point histrionics in college simply a flash in the pan, or will his jumper come around as his career progresses?

The answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

However, if Young continues to attempt those deep three-pointers at high volume, odds are good that those shooting numbers will come up.

Just for context, Young shot over 100 more three-pointers than Curry did in his rookie year (482 to 380) on a higher three-point attempt rate (38.4% to 33.2%) – showcasing the three-pointer-obsessed nature of the NBA that Curry helped instigate earlier this decade.