The Atlanta Hawks took part in a three-team trade on July 19, sending Dennis Schröder to the Oklahoma City Thunder. A little over a month later (July 21), the Hawks selected Trae Young from the Oklahoma Sooners in the NBA Draft. The message seems quite clear: Young is the future of Atlanta.
Young, 19, says the moves that the Hawks made are a clear indicator of their commitment.
“Obviously, when they move the point guard they’ve had for a while, their starting point guard, it definitely opened my eyes,” Young told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution from New Jersey, where he was taking part in the Rookie Transition Program. “It shows how much they are committed to me. Bringing Jeremy (Lin) in as well is a good fit for us. I know there is a lot on my plate. I’m looking forward to it.”
As Young noted in his statement, the Hawks also brought in Jeremy Lin to shore up their depth at point guard. Whether the team will go with Young or Lin as their starting ballhandler remains to be seen.
“We’ll just wait and see what happens,” Young when asked who should start at point guard for the Hawks. “I don’t get caught up in all of that. I know I’m going to get a chance to play and do what I do on the court. I just need to control what I can control.”
Without a doubt, the Hawks are excited about Young's potential — for good reason. In 32 appearances with the Sooners during his freshman year, the first-team All-American racked up averages of 27.4 points on 42.2 percent shooting from the field (36.0 percent from beyond the arc), 8.7 assists, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in 35.4 minutes per outing.
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