NBA Rookie Rankings: Trae Young continues his charge on Luka Doncic

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - MARCH 06: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts after a basket against the San Antonio Spurs in the second half at State Farm Arena on March 06, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. 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 Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

4 of 5

ATLANTA, GA – MARCH 6: Trae Young #11 of the Atlanta Hawks shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs on March 6, 2019 at State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. 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. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Scott Cunningham/NBAE via Getty Images) /

2. Trae Young

Young became the third rookie in NBA history to post a 40-point, 10-assist game. Joining a club that only includes Michael Jordan and LeBron James is a terrific accomplishment for any player. Young’s come back down to Earth since then, but his ability to go off in any single game makes him a guy opponents have to game plan for.

Inevitably, we’re going to take some heat for keeping Young down in the second slot. Remember, our rankings are based heavily around the player’s season-long contributions. We do weight recent performance, but it’s not the biggest factor in our thinking.

With that being said, the fact that Young is starting to close serious ground on Doncic is a huge testament to his growth this season. Early in the year, he was firing a ton of 3-pointers, but he wasn’t making any. Now he’s still getting shots up at the same clip, but they’re going down with efficiency.

That’s forcing opponents to guard him well beyond the three-point arc. That opens up a lot of room for him to drive and set his teammates up for open shots. John Collins and Kevin Huerter have certainly learned to take advantage of Young’s talents. As we said previously, the future is really bright for this young core in Atlanta.

Home/NBA