Trae Young, Hawks Upset Andre Drummond, Pistons as Vince Carter Drops 18
Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks are starting to find their stride and won their third straight game Sunday with a 98-95 victory over the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena.
Detroit continued trending in the wrong direction and fell to 2-9 in its last 11 and 15-16 overall, although it is still in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Young was one of six Hawks who scored in double figures and finished with 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals and six turnovers. Alex Len notched a double-double with 15 points and 17 rebounds, while Vince Carter chipped in 18 points.
Five Pistons scored in double figures, including Andre Drummond (13 points, 15 boards and five blocks) and Langston Galloway (18 points).
Passing, Not Shooting, Has Become Trae Young's Most Valuable Skill
Stephen Curry comparisons are always ambitious, but he was the player who came to mind for many when discussing Young as the latter entered the NBA ranks. The Oklahoma product had range from seemingly anywhere inside the gym during his collegiate career and rarely hesitated to fire regardless of the defense's position.
However, Young has shot nothing like Curry and entered Sunday's game hitting a measly 25 percent of his three-pointers and 38.3 percent of his field goals.
There is something to be said about being the face of the rebuilding Hawks, as opponents frequently send their best defenders his way. Young is just 20 years old and receiving the best shot from teams he's faced, so the field-goal percentage is somewhat understandable.
To his credit, he is still impacting games the best way a ball-handling guard can when serving as the focal point of opposing game plans.
He was tied with none other than four-time MVP LeBron James for 11th in the league in assists per game at 7.2 entering this contest. James has established himself as one of the best players in league history thanks in large part to his ability to impact the game in a number of ways, and Young has kept pace with him in the assist department as a rookie.
Young posted double-digit assists in three of his previous five outings and had 17 assists in a November matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers.
It is easy for Hawks fans to be worried they lost the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic is the early Rookie of the Year front-runner and has propelled Dallas into the early playoff discussion.
However, those same fans can take solace in the fact Young has demonstrated the vision of a 10-year veteran, building on what he showed at Oklahoma when he led the nation with 8.7 assists a night while also scoring 27.4 points per game. His collegiate scoring totals suggest the shooting will come as he garners additional experience and eventually gets more help as the Hawks improve during the rebuilding process.
For now, Young's passing is his most valuable skill and the biggest reason for optimism in Atlanta. He will be a double-double threat every night once he hits his prime.
Drummond Deserving of Back-to-Back All-Star Nods
The NBA announced its schedule for 2019 All-Star Game voting, and fans will have the opportunity to select the most deserving players from Christmas Day through Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 21.
Drummond should be under consideration.
Other players in bigger markets such as Joel Embiid jump out in the Eastern Conference frontcourt picture, but Drummond deserves to be on the roster for a game that is no longer a traditional inter-conference showdown and instead has two captains choose from the voted starters and coach-selected reserves.
This would be Drummond's second straight All-Star game and third nod of his career.
He was averaging 17.9 points, 15.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks a night while shooting 50.2 percent from the field entering Sunday's game as an almost automatic double-double. What's more, he posted eight 20-plus rebound outings in his first 30 games and has also protected the rim beyond just his block totals.
Opponents were shooting 2.3 percent worse than their normal averages within six feet of the basket when he defended them entering play, per NBA.com.
Drummond's performance has been a silver lining for a Pistons team that has struggled of late. There aren't many frontcourt duos better than Drummond and Blake Griffin in the NBA, and the Pistons will need to rely on those playmakers as they battle for a postseason spot in the season's second half.
Drummond should play in the All-Star Game before that.
What's Next?
Both teams are home Wednesday with the Hawks hosting the Indiana Pacers and the Pistons facing the Washington Wizards.
