That’s the thing about a 30-footer – they are almost always wide open.
Trae Young knows it.
The Hawks rookie point guard hit a game-winning shot from well past the 3-point line last week for an exhibition win against the Spurs. Much focus has been – and will be – on Young’s shooting when the NBA regular season begins Wednesday. At Oklahoma, he led the nation in scoring. But he also led the nation in assists. So while that game-winner was dramatic, most of Young’s work will be running the Hawks fast-paced offense.
“He knows everything we want to do,” Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce said of Young’s grasp of the offense. “ I don’t know if he knows the nuances of how to do it. Does Alex (Len) like it high on the roll or does he want the bounce pass? Does (Kent Bazemore) like it on the shakeup or does he need to spoon feed it? Just those simple little reads of knowing his personnel, his players, he is playing with. When to deliver the pass. Does Alex need to get set when he pops out to the 3(-point line) or can he be on the move? Just being able to stay poised and let the play develop. He knows what we are running. He does it very well. He knows the reads. Now, it’s just figuring out who he is running it for and deliver it the best way he can.”
Young started all five preseason games for the Hawks with veteran Jeremy Lin, after missing nearly all the past two seasons due to injury, coming off the bench. Pierce has not named a starter at point guard but Young hasn’t done anything to take himself out of the lineup.
Young averaged 15.0 points, 5.4 assists, 2.0 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 2.2 turnovers in 24.6 minutes in the preseason. He shot .394 (26 of 66) from the field, including .370 (10 of 27) from 3-point range.
“This is a pretty cool things that we’ve only played a few games together and we know so much about each other’s game,” Young said after his game-winning shot. “It’s a great thing when you see how good our chemistry is together.”
Much was made of Young’s shooting struggles during the Las Vegas Summer League. There was scrutiny, especially after the Hawks sent the No. 3 pick Luka Donic to the Mavericks for the No. 5 pick Young.
Young has had several highlight worthy assists during the preseason. That’s what the Hawks will count on most.
But, come on, those extraordinary 3-pointers are fun too.
“It’s always open,” Young said with a smile. “… When it went in, I definitely had a flashback to some of the shots I made at Oklahoma.”
The Hawks open the season with a three-game road trip that begins at the Knicks on Wednesday. The home opener is a week later against those Mavericks.
