Atlanta Hawks head coach Lloyd Pierce has urged incoming second-year man Trae Young to step up and be the team's leader.
Per Ben Golliver of The Washington Post, Pierce pointed out how critical Young's tenure with Team USA is. He's hoping that Young will gain some valuable insight, which would eventually contribute to his leadership skills.
“He’s going to need to be our leader,” Pierce said. “We need him to take this [Team USA] experience back to Atlanta. We need him to be vocal and accountable for our team’s success. It’s a lot to put on any young player, but he wants it.”
Team USA will announce the final 12-man lineup on Aug. 17. Young, as well as other young up-and-coming Americans players, is part of the Select Team who will train together with head coach Gregg Popovich and the main roster.
Even if Young is unlikely to make the cut, the lessons and experience he will get from training with USA Basketball are valuable things that he'll latch onto moving forward.
Young's inclusion into the national team's training camp was made possible by his stellar rookie campaign. Prior to entering the league, he was seen as the next Stephen Curry — primarily due to his supreme outside shooting. However, as the season progressed, Young steadily developed into his own.
The Hawks rising star put up 19.1 points and 8.1 assists per game, a piece of clear evidence that he's not just a shotmaker but a willing playmaker, too.
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