Following the ranking of John Collins at #18, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks was ranked as the 13th-best player under 25 in FanSided’s 25-under-25.
After being ranked lower than his teammate on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100, Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks was slotted in five spots ahead of his big man teammate John Collins in FanSided’s ongoing 25-under-25 series.
Young received plaudits for his scorching-hot end to the season (which actually made him the best rookie over the final four months of the season) as well as his ability to create shots for himself and his teammates at will due to his staggering dribble package and amazing passing ability.
FanSided’s profile of Young, excellently written by Trevor Magnotti, details Young’s early struggles but then outlines Young shooting 36 percent from downtown on 6.9 attempts per game starting in February. Young’s outside shooting is where his career will be made, per Magnotti:
“We have seen the blueprint for what Young can do if his shooting is real. The two teams in last year’s Western Conference Finals were the first and third-best offenses in the league last year, and both Golden State and Portland got there built on the threat of Steph Curry and Damian Lillard pulling up from anywhere on the floor. Young’s propensity for quick-release pull-up 3s out to 30 feet could eventually put him in that same tier.”
Indeed, the ceiling for Trae Young should be immensely high (on offense), as the rookie wunderkind showcased an ability to comfortably pilot an offense with less-than-stellar talent around him, so imagine how the Atlanta Hawks could perform if all of their young players pan out.
Young is an up-and-coming young star in the NBA, and ball-dominant guards tend to be given every opportunity to succeed in the NBA – especially ones that are named unanimously to the All-Rookie First Team like Young was.