Hawks' Trae Young doubles down on season-long stat prediction

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young made a career-low 54 appearances in 2023-24. He averaged 25.7 points, 10.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds en route to his third All-Star appearance. 

The assists set a new career-high mark for Young as he hit the baseline he predicted coming into the season. With a retooled roster – one that better surrounds him with defenders and play-finishers – Young is back and eyeing the higher end of his previous prediction.

StatMamba laid out Young’s previous numbers and asked what was next.

“At least the jersey # ! You would think..,” Young said on X on July 28, quoting the original post that shows his steady upward trajectory.

Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton led the league in assists in 2023-24 with 10.9 per game. Russell Westbrook, now of the Denver Nuggets, is the last player to average at least 11.0 assists per game, hitting that mark in 2020-21 while with the Washington Wizards.

Young averaged 11.0 assists per game from the second game of the campaign through his 49th appearance.

He averaged 9.2 assists in the other five games.

Young’s usage rate hit 30.5% in 2023-24, the second-lowest of his career. It figures to jump back up with the 2021-22 All-NBA selection averaging a 33.7% clip over the four previous seasons.

Hawks need vintage Trae Young in 2024-25

Young’s passing prowess is nothing to sneeze at. This is a player who led the NBA in total assists two years straight and added total points the first time around. 

The Hawks did not benefit as a team when Young went for bunches of assists in 2023-24, finishing the season with a 17-20 record whenever he logged 10-plus dimes. They are 98-109 when he hits that mark in his career, per Stathead.

However, they are 82-118 when he records nine or fewer assists in a game.

That would suggest that, while the team’s record may not scream contender, they do benefit greatly when Young is dealing to his teammates.

It could also mean their offseason moves will have a greater collective impact than the sum of their parts simply because it all fit together better. General Manger Landry Fields said they would look at the lineups that worked in 2023-24 and try to find the reasons why.

They seem to have settled on Young needing to be the centerpiece of the operation again.

The last time the roster was built similarly they went to the Eastern Conference Finals. This iteration is simply trying to emerge from the ranks of Play-In Tournament teams.