Trae Young - The Man, The Viper, and The Prosecution aka The MVP aka Ice Trae

[benhillboy]

On 4/23/2020 at 5:18 AM, NBASupes said:

His opinion is okay. Not great just okay. I don't agree or disagree with Trae Young. Trae has a lot of improvement left in him but he has to do it. Same for the others. I think he is spot on with John Collins in my opinion. Aaron Gordon is really someone that I see being favorable to Collins when it comes to winning.

I didn’t learn anything because all his opinions were basically in lockstep with my past posts.  I don’t watch enough of Aaron Gordon but I’ll go out and say John’s impact is better.  

Just saying our board is so thorough there isn’t much a national writer/ analyst can uncover, whether fact or opinion, than we haven’t.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[Spud2nique]

43 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

 

Saw that he’s really proud.

[JayBirdHawk]

 

I only have 1 question: Isn't Trae afraid of birds? 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Gotta me a student of the game Trae!

 

[JayBirdHawk]

Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson or Trae Young: Which young star would NBA execs build around?

ESPN asked 20 members of the NBA world -- including coaches, scouts and executives -- to rank these four young talents based on their potential to lead a franchise. It wasn't particularly close.

Quote

Young placed third on four ballots and last on the other 16. And while those polled were quick to praise his prodigious offensive exploits -- particularly on such a young Atlanta Hawks team -- concerns about the other end of the floor prevented him from gaining traction in our survey.

"Trae clearly is fourth because of the defense," an Eastern Conference executive said. "I just don't think you can win big when his defense is that bad."

Those who had him third thought his offense is so productive that it outweighs the concerns about him at the opposite end.

"Being an elite deep shooter has so much value," another Eastern Conference exec said. "The thing with Trae is: Does he become James Harden, where you say, 'F--- it, and we'll build around him because he's so good you win 55 games,' or does he not work with other better players, like a Russell Westbrook, so you have to minimize his role?"

While Doncic is the current favorite to build around, it's clear this quartet represents the future of the NBA -- with a long way to go.

"All four are really unique for the position [they play]," said one general manager, before adding with a laugh, "Frankly, who the f--- knows?"

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29016357/luka-doncic-ja-morant-zion-williamson-trae-young-which-young-star-nba-execs-build-around

 

[TheFuzz]

1 hour ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson or Trae Young: Which young star would NBA execs build around?

ESPN asked 20 members of the NBA world -- including coaches, scouts and executives -- to rank these four young talents based on their potential to lead a franchise. It wasn't particularly close.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29016357/luka-doncic-ja-morant-zion-williamson-trae-young-which-young-star-nba-execs-build-around

 

Trae is gonna be the best of the 4 when it's all said and done

[Spud2nique]

15 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

Gotta me a student of the game Trae!

 

It’s like Trae is living it for the first time he’s gonna be fascinated by the OJ trial  
 

 

[JayBirdHawk]

23 minutes ago, TheFuzz said:

Trae is gonna be the best of the 4 when it's all said and done

And I'm ok with that!

[benhillboy]

All things considered I think I’m riding with Ja.  Luka takes some wild shots and is a decent team defender at best, even with the gaudy glass work.  Zion’s health will always be an issue with his size, type, and landings from insane jumps.  
 

Ja has the best coach and room for growth I think.  People talked about how skinny he is but he should fill out rather easily judging by his shoulders.  What more can you ask from a rookie than .491 from the field with a 2:1 assist turn with the IQ and makeup to lead his squad to a potential playoff berth?  When his defensive box hits around 0 in a couple years (currently -1.3) he’s gonna be nearly flawless.  I always gotta point out when small guards hit the offensive glass harder than Cupcake (Trae and Ja both at .7). He has that invaluable skill as a guard to get Bigs in foul trouble with the hops.  I figured the Grizz would win both games versus us but little dude left a stain on me with his generalship.

Edited April 28, 2020 by benhillboy

[Spud2nique]

2 minutes ago, benhillboy said:

Cupcake

highlights.

 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Rashad Phillips I called this a year and a half ago !!!! Trae resembles Zeke to me. Being a feisty guy who wants to show out and lead. He will score if you let him or assist, he will take what you give him. He’s more Zeke to me than Nash or Iverson. We are mirroring the late 80’s Pistons I made a thread about this some clowned me. But now a media guy says it and everyone will follow.

 

Oh my ...I’m turning into Stewie!  

[Spud2nique]

4 hours ago, JayBirdHawk said:

 

Treke?

That’s my stab at a nickname that likens Trae to Zeke. This really isn’t my department. More @kg01 with the twisting of the names. 

[JayBirdHawk]

28 minutes ago, Spud2nique said:

Rashad Phillips I called this a year and a half ago !!!! Trae resembles Zeke to me. Being a feisty guy who wants to show out and lead. He will score if you let him or assist, he will take what you give him. He’s more Zeke to me than Nash or Iverson. We are mirroring the late 80’s Pistons I made a thread about this some clowned me. But now a media guy says it and everyone will follow.

 

Oh my ...I’m turning into Stewie!  

If we can get JC and/or Hunter to do this....

 

 

[Spud2nique]

5 minutes ago, JayBirdHawk said:

If we can get JC and/or Hunter to do this....

 

 

To me it’s funny because I think it’s a mix of the two. JC tips the ball to himself and has the best 2nd jump in the league (mentioned by Schlenk a million times) so that’s boards ala Dennis, then the straight one on one defense is much like De’Andre where he plays the man really well and keep him in front the whole time and is constantly suffocating him.

 

Collins and Hunter has a baby it’s Dennis.  

[JayBirdHawk]

On 4/28/2020 at 8:32 AM, JayBirdHawk said:

Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson or Trae Young: Which young star would NBA execs build around?

ESPN asked 20 members of the NBA world -- including coaches, scouts and executives -- to rank these four young talents based on their potential to lead a franchise. It wasn't particularly close.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29016357/luka-doncic-ja-morant-zion-williamson-trae-young-which-young-star-nba-execs-build-around

 

 

I guess he's referencing this. 

[JayBirdHawk]

 

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6. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

Statistically, Young’s case for Most Improved Player might be the strongest in the league. The 21-year-old added over 10 points to his scoring average, boosted his assist numbers, and reduced his turnover rate, all while carrying one of the heaviest offensive loads in the league for a lottery-bound team. He meaningfully improved his 3-point percentage on some of the most difficult attempts in the NBA, and his overall efficiency climbed from below-average to elite. Young improved his shooting from virtually every area on the floor — including the foul line, where he took more than nine shots per game — while sharpening his floater and stepback 3 into some of the most dangerous weapons in the league. Few passers are as creative or adept as Young, who finished second in assists per game despite playing on the league’s worst 3-point shooting team.

Everything about Young’s game was more refined. His handle, shot selection, conditioning, and command of the game were all stronger compared to his rookie year. The greatest flaw of his Most Improved candidacy (aside from a fellow 2018 draftee’s ascent) is on defense, where Young, already one of the worst defenders in the league, made little effort to improve. On the occasional night, he might battle over screens, fervently chase shooters around screens, or play pest away from the ball, but Young did not commit to that side of the ball consistently. Arguably the least physical defender in the NBA, Young provided close to no ball pressure, even when he made the effort to slide his feet. He often gave up when switched onto bigger players in the post and got hung up on screens far too often.

Given his size and limited lateral mobility, Young will likely never be a quality defender, and playing with the worst defensive center rotation in the NBA for most of the season did little to mask his own shortcomings. With better players around him, Young’s offensive brilliance will outweigh his defensive weaknesses. But at some point, he’ll need to put in the requisite effort on that end of the floor, and that point did not come this season.