Soaring Down South
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Atlanta Hawks: Issuing challenges for every starter

By Joshua Buckhalter

MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on prior to the preseason game against the Miami Heat at FTX Arena on October 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks looks on prior to the preseason game against the Miami Heat at FTX Arena on October 04, 2021 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2021 NBAE (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta Hawks Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports /

Atlanta Hawks player challenge No. 1: Trae Young may never be great on-ball but he can disrupt

There aren’t many negatives for critics to point to in regards to Trae Young. Entering his fourth season, Young has quickly become one of the best point guards in the NBA. He was the only player to average at least 25.0 points and 9.0 assists per game during the regular season last year.

Young also became just the ninth person in league history to average at least 28.0 points and 9.0 assists in the postseason.

The one thing he isn’t very good at right now is defense.

So much so that it reduces his offensive rating is a plus-12.4 yet he ends up with just a plus-7.4 net rating.

His size will always limit his effectiveness on that end at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds.

But he is athletic enough and has such a good understanding of passing lanes offensively, there is no reason he can’t be one of the top players at taking the ball away. It’s not like he hasn’t shown the potential.

Young averaged a career-high 1.1 steals per game in his second season. Last year, that average dipped to a career-low 0.8 takeaways per contest.

Kyrie Irving profiles similarly both physically and as an offensive dynamo who is generally viewed as a negative on the defensive end. His on-off numbers would certainly back that notion up. But the Brooklyn Nets Mercurial guard has averaged at least 1.4 steals per game in six of his 10 seasons in the NBA and 1.5 steals per game in four.

It might not seem like a lot. And there is a strong argument to be made he should focus on cutting down the turnovers. But that is a far more obvious issue after he finished last season with the third-most turnovers per game among qualifiers.

But stealing a few extra possessions per game could mean all of the difference in the world.

That could hold especially true in the postseason when there are fewer possessions and points come at a premium.

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