CLOSE

USA TODAY Sports Jeff Zillgitt breaks down some of the biggest signatures of free agents in the NBA, including LeBron James and DeMarcus Cousins.
USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks Guard Young Trae (11) against the New York Knicks at an NBA game Summer League at the Thomas & Mack Center. 1965-19005] (Photo: Mark J. Rebilas-US Sports)

LAS VEGAS – When the Atlanta Hawks general manager, Travis Schlenk, made the decision to prepare fifth Trae Young out of Oklahoma last month, he knew As it was not enough that Young was regularly compared to Golden State star Steph Curry and Phoenix legend Steve Nash, or that the Hawks traded two spots in the draft for the To send to No. 5 while preparing a protected first round pick of Dallas in 2019, the combination of Young's small frame and the nature of his long-range play seems to inspire exaggerated reactions from fans and members of the media. While Young rebounded after a three-game loss in a recent Utah summer league to reap 21 points, 11 badists, three rebounds and a nine-point differential in his home game. opening in Las Vegas vs. New York on Saturday, Schlenk

More NBA

It was far from Young's performances in Salt Lake City, where the player who led the nation by scoring and attending as a student of first year. shot only 23% overall (12 of 52) and 12.5% ​​at three points (three of 24) averaging 12.7 points and 4.3 badists. If only for a day, the growing rumor that he was destined to be a bust was calmed.

"I think it speaks to how society is now where everything is instant gratification," Schlenk told USA's TODAY Sports. , the 6-foot-2, 178-pound player who averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 badists with the Sooners. "Everyone is like, oh he missed a shot, and it's" Oh, he's a bust … it's a long process for him. " will not be a summer league.It will not be a season.It will be a matter of two or three years, and it is at that time that we will find out who really is Trae Young. "[19659009] Autoplay

See thumbnails

See descriptions