The Atlanta Hawks have seemingly found their franchise cornerstone in Trae Young. Since committing to a full rebuild, the Hawks have been looking for a player to build their team around. They traded up in the 2018 NBA Draft to select Young, a dynamic point guard known for his shooting ability. While Young showed that he can be a prolific scorer at the collegiate level, he will need to develop in other areas to become a complete player as a professional. Since the Hawks will likely miss the playoffs again, there’s no reason why Young shouldn’t start in as many games as possible. The biggest factor in the development of a young player is experience, and giving Young the chance to be a focal point of the team on a nightly basis should be positive for him.
The team may not win many games, but development of young talent should be a key objective in Atlanta this season. For rebuilding teams, the draft is where the foundation for the future is created. That foundation is extended by allowing those young players to grow and flourish with experience. In recent years, we’ve seen how well trusting a young player with a lion’s share of minutes can work. Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum were all key members of playoff teams last season, despite being first and second-year players.
Here are three reasons the Atlanta Hawks should allow Trae Young to start from day one.
Next Up: Reason #1
Reason #4 Hawks intend to tank