12. Trae Young

At the 2018 Draft, the biggest moment was when the Dallas Mavericks traded Trae Young for Luka Doncic to Atlanta, players who both teams just drafted, and were both hopeful that they both landed the man who would take them to the promised land.  With the two linked together in perpetuity, Young will always be compared to Doncic, which may not be fair, but Young showed his share of scoring skills

Young was an immediate star, earning First Team All-Rookie honors with a 19.1 PPG and 8.1 APG.  There was no sophomore slump for the Point Guard, who went to his first All-Star Game, and increased his production to 29.6 Points and 9.4 Assists per Game, with his PER rocketing to 23.9.  2020/21 saw Young’s numbers slightly decrease, but he had more help, and brought the Hawks to an Eastern Conference Final.  2021/22 was a disappointing one for the Hawks, as they regressed overall, but Young was outstanding, going back to the All-Star Game on his way to a 28.4 PPG  Season, and a career-high PER of 25.4.  

In 2022-23, Young was not able to make the All-Star Game, but still led the Hawks to the playoffs, and had a 26.2 PPG, the fourth year in a row that he averaged over 25 Points per Game.  Last season, Young did make the All-Star (albeit as a replacement) and again averaged over 25 Points per Game (25.7).

Young's future with the Hawks might be on shaky ground, but the potent scorer can still carry Atlanta and steal wins.  

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Point Guard
  • Acquired: Traded from the Dallas Mavericks with a 2019 1st Round Pick (which would be Cam Reddish) for Luka Doncic 6/21/18.
  • Games Played: 407
  • Per Game Averages:

    34.1 MP
    .506 eFG%
    .873 FT%
    25.5 PTS
    3.6 RB
    9.5 AST
    1.0 STL
    0.2 BLK

    27 Playoff Games
    37.7 MP
    .463 eFG%
    .860 FT%
    26.4 PTS
    3.4 RB
    9.0 AST
    1.2 STL
    0.1 BLK

  • Advanced Stats:

    21.9 PER
    .581 TS%
    17.5 VORP
    37.6 WS

    27 Playoff Games
    22.2 PER
    .580 TS%
    15.5 VORP
    33.0 WS

  • Major Accolades and Awards:

    Third Team All-NBA (2022)
    All-Star (2020, 2022 & 2024)
    First Team All-Rookie (2019)
    Most Points (2021-22)
    Most Assists (2021-22 & 2022-23)
    Most Free Throws (2020-21)
    Highest Assist Percentage (2021-22 & 2023-24)

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