The Atlanta Hawks are still stuck in a rut when it comes to their championship aspirations. There are plenty of reasons behind their struggles to return to the Eastern Conference Finals, but some are starting to believe that Trae Young may not be the franchise centerpiece the Hawks need to make the NBA Finals.
The 25-year-old guard may have denied the possibility of leaving the Hawks last season, but his recent change of tune has analysts thinking the team must decide on his future sooner or later.
If the Hawks do decide to move on from the Oklahoma product, a good number of teams would be interested in trading for him. One statistic highlights the kind of value the sharpshooter can provide teams aside from his three-point shooting.
Trae Young’s superb playmaking ability makes him a viable trade piece if the Atlanta Hawks decide to trade him
A social media account dedicated to posting NBA statistics posted an interesting tidbit on how Young has developed as a playmaker.
While he’s always been a brilliant floor general from his rookie season, he’s learned to leverage his gravity as a deep threat to his advantage, making him one of the most dangerous playmakers in the league:
Trae Young assists per game each season:
2019: 8.1 APG (7th)
2020: 9.3 APG (2nd)
2021: 9.4 APG (3rd)
2022: 9.7 APG (3rd)
2023: 10.2 APG (3rd)
2024: 10.8 APG (2nd)How many APG for Trae next season? pic.twitter.com/cljgsgjJwC
— StatMamba (@StatMamba) July 28, 2024
The fact that he’s been one of the top three assist leaders over the past three seasons is an impressive feat that flew under the radar due to how poorly the Hawks performed in the postseason since their shocking Eastern Conference Finals run in 2021.
Young didn’t slack off with his output last season, either. While his shooting numbers were slightly worse at 25.7 PPG, his efficiency was up at 43.0% on the floor and 37.3% from deep. His 1.3 steal average also shows how proactive he is in clogging up passing lanes and challenging the ballhandler.
With such stats, it’s not strange for the Hawks to expect a king’s ransom should they decide to part ways with their franchise cornerstone. The question now lies in whether a team is willing to meet those demands for the sake of a championship.
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