Trae Young looks unstoppable
Trae Young is here to stay.
After setting the NBA alight after last season’s All-Star break, Young continued his momentum in the Hawks’ 117-100 opening night win over the Pistons on Thursday.
Young displayed his ridiculous range, shooting 6 of 10 on 3-pointers en route to a 38-point performance. He even tried — and made — two 3-pointers all the way back from the logo.
Perhaps even more encouragingly, Young notched nine assists and served as the Hawks’ primary playmaker throughout the night. From December to February last season, Young increased his assists per game every month, and averaged a season-best 9.3 dimes in both February and March.
Even though he coughed up six turnovers on Thursday, his near triple-double performance (with seven rebounds) showed his passing is continuing to improve from the 2018-19 season.
Young won’t score 38 points every night, but a big reason he got to that number on Thursday was his 12 free-throw attempts (and 10 makes). Those attempts are more than double the 5.1 free throws he took per game in his rookie season. If Young wants to elevate to the next level, he needs to consistently get to the line.
Against the Pistons, he showed a glimpse of that potential — and much more.
