Trae Young isn’t feeling any sophomore slump in 2019, even if he is feeling the loss of a few teammates.
The second-year man out of Oklahoma hasn’t let the absence of his right-hand man, John Collins, or splash brother, Kevin Huerter, stop him from putting up ridiculous stat lines. The fact that the Hawks are still breathing with their current roster is a testament to how effective Young has been. And looking at these stats sorted by point guards, he is at or near the top of every category that makes a point guard stand out.
Points In A Game
1. Damian Lillard – 60
2. D’Angelo Russell – 52
3. Kyrie Irving – 50
4. Trae Young – 42
Points Per Game
1. Damian Lillard – 28.6
2. Kyrie Irving – 28.5
3. Trae Young – 27.0
Assists In A Game
T1. Trae Young (Twice) – 13
T1. Damian Lillard – 13
T1. Russell Westbrook – 13
T1. Jeff Teague – 13
2. Trae Young – 12
Assists Per Game
T1. Trae Young – 8.7
T1. Ricky Rubio – 8.7
2. Fred Vanvleet – 7.6
3 Pointers Made (Per Game)
1. Kemba Walker – 3.9
T2. Devonté Graham – 3.5
T2. Damian Lillard – 3.3
3. Trae Young – 3.2
As terrific as Lillard is, it’s worth noting he plays the most minutes in the NBA and averages about five more than Young & Irving. Kyrie has been amazing with his scoring, but his ability to facilitate is not in the same stratosphere as Young. Lillard has been excellent this season, and I think he’s the only guy on this list who’s ahead of Trae as far as a “true point guard” is concerned. Dame also won their head to head matchup at home, which was a superb game to watch. Both of these guys are dawgs, and we will be keeping an eye on Trae’s position on the leaderboards as the season goes on. It’s about time he gets some MVP consideration – he’s playing like one.