As soon as then-Oklahoma Sooner guard Trae Young started lighting up college basketball teams with 30-foot rainbows, the comparisons started rolling in. Pundits were calling the Texas native the next coming of Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, and Young impressed so much in his freshman season that he was selected fifth overall in the 2018 draft.
It seems like Trae Young is fine with being compared to arguably the greatest shooter of all time, but Stephen Curry has had enough of it. When Warriors beat writer Connor Letourneau asked Curry about Young, the two-time Most Valuable Player shut down the comparison aspect quickly.
Anthony Slater of The Athletic later posted the full interview, and Curry has a wise take on the subject:
Young and Curry do have many similarities, both being undersized guards who have an extreme range and impressive handles. But the Warriors star is right to slow down the hype-train now and let Trae Young develop into his own style without forcing himself into a precut model.
Trae Young has had a season of highs and lows so far, having games where he electrifies the crowd with his uncanny shooting and games where it seems like he couldn't buy a bucket. In 23 contests, he holds averages of 15.6 points, 7.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds per game. The stat line appears solid, but Young's bread and butter is the three-pointer, and he is shooting a lowly 25 percent from downtown so far.
The season is still young, and rookie guards historically have taken a while to acclimate to the league. Young certainly has time in Atlanta to grow as a player and potentially become the league's next big thing.