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NBA Draft 2018: Hawks take Trae Young at No. 5

By Cody Williams

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Trae Young is introduced before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Trae Young is introduced before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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The Atlanta Hawks traded down with the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft to the No. 5 selection, where they selected point guard Trae Young.

Get your cameras ready if you’re in the ATL. Trae Young is now the newest member of the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta was originally slated to select third-overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, but their plans ultimately changed. Once the draft began, they agreed to a trade with the Dallas Mavericks.

The Mavs moved up to No. 3 as the Hawks moved down to the No. 5 pick, acquiring a future first-round pick in the process (per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN). The deal was contingent upon Luka Doncic going third and Young then going fifth, which is how things played out.

Few players in the draft class are as polarizing as Young. The former Oklahoma Sooners point guard has some of the most impressive highlights from college basketball last season. However, he also had a late-season slump that many seemed to use to nullify his incredibly early-season run.

Boom-or-bust is simply the most apt way to describe Young coming into the NBA. There is a chance that he could be an offensive juggernaut with great court vision as a passer and unlimited range as a shooter. But there is equally as much a chance that he is a high-volume shooter that’s a defensive liability.

However, Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk calculated that Young was worth the risk. It’s not hard to see why given that they need to swing for the fences on a possible game-changer, but to do so while also acquiring more draft assets makes the deal sweeter.

It was just three years ago when the Hawks were the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference, winning 60 games with a core of Paul Millsap and Al Horford leading the charge. However, things have changed drastically in recent years, with their record worsening in each of the past three seasons, culminating in a 24-58 record.

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As the point guard is joining last year’s first-round pick John Collins, Dennis Schroeder and a bevy of other 2018 draft picks, the Hawks took a massive risk on Young. But if it pays off, it could be the selection that helps get them back into the playoff picture in the East sooner rather than later.

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