Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young has had a rough summer

Jay Asser 19:17 09/07/2018
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  • Trae Young is dealing with a quad contusion.

    Trae Young’s summer league campaign has been less than ideal and there’s a chance he won’t be in action again until the preseason.

    The Atlanta Hawks rookie left Sunday’s 85-68 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in Las Vegas with a right quad contusion – an injury that isn’t considered serious but may force Atlanta to be cautious with last month’s number five overall pick.

    Atlanta only have one more scheduled game before the playoffs – against Chicago on Tuesday – and Young is hoping to return to the court before the summer league comes to an end.

    “I’m going to try to get back in and get my body healed,” Young said, via ESPN. “It’s really up to them (when I play). I want to be back for the playoffs for sure, get some more games under my belt and keep playing.”

    Young sounds like he’s eager to play again as soon as possible, and with how underwhelming he’s been so far, it’s understandable why.

    Young entered the league known for being an elite shooter and playmaker, yet the former hasn’t lived up to the billing. After shooting 23.0 per cent in three games in Utah, the 19-year-old hasn’t been much better in Las Vegas, where he’s 4-of-16 so far.

    His outside shot has especially been off the mark as he’s knocked down just 6-of-35 attempts from deep in total this summer.

    While his free-and-easy shot selection hasn’t been uncharacteristic, the makes haven’t been there for a player that drew comparisons to Stephen Curry in his eye-popping season in college at Oklahoma.

    Shooting during summer league rarely means anything because of the sample size, but Young’s aforementioned shot selection is arguably the biggest culprit for his low percentages. If he continues to take the kind of difficult shots he’s fired off so far, his shooting may not significantly improve.

    Young’s playmaking, however, has been mostly encouraging as he averaged 4.3 assists in Utah and now 7.0 in Vegas.

    If he tunes his decision-making and looks to facilitate more than looking for his own shot, he may find more success.

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