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Atlanta Hawks prized rookie Trae Young, the NCAA's leading scorer last year, has the word “superstar” written all over him. Despite his incredible overall skills, Young still possesses a major flaw in his game. NBA skills trainer Alex Bazzell discussed Young's weakness, via Matt Ellentuck of SB Nation.
“A lot of it was about Trae getting through screens more than anything else,” Bazzell says. “You’re not going to lock up Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook or Damian Lillard one-on-one regardless.”
While Young has already drawn comparisons with Stephen Curry because of his impressive shooting and out-of-this-world 3-point range, his thin frame could be something that bigger point guards will look into as his weakness. The fact that he doesn't possess above-average strength and athleticism further weakens his case as an effective one-on-one defender.
Kyle Boone of CBS Sports analyzed how Young's lack of strength costs him not just on the defensive end, but on offense as well. Boone highlighted Young's collegiate matchup against Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Colin Sexton during an Oklahoma-Alabama game to prove the point.
In that matchup, Sexton, at times, bullied Young on both sides of the floor. Young's lack of strength was a glaring weakness, and Sexton used that to his advantage by forcing Young out of his comfort zone, leading to careless turnovers like this one miles away from his own basket.
It's actually interesting to recall that during the 2009 NBA Draft, teams were also concerned about Curry's thin frame and lack of strength. But like what Curry has done over the years, Young has no other choice but to bulk up and improve his defense if he wants to be an All-Star in this league.
