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Trae Young firing too many blanks in NBA Summer League

By Chip Rouse

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Collin Sexton, Marvin Bagley III, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Mohamed Bamba pose for a photo before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 Mike Lawrie/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Collin Sexton, Marvin Bagley III, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Luka Doncic and Mohamed Bamba pose for a photo before the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 Mike Lawrie/Getty Images) /
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Trae Young had a tough opening week in his NBA debut in the league’s annual summer showcase for rookies and other prospects hoping to secure an NBA roster spot.

Playing for the Atlanta Hawks in the NBA Summer League, the former OU stat has scored a total of 38 points in three preliminary games held in Salt Lake City. More importantly, college basketball’s No. 1 scorer and assist leader last season connected on just 12 of 52 field-goal attempts and only 3 of 24 from NBA three-point range.

For those who are math-challenged, I’ll do it for you. That’s 23.1 percent from the field and 12.5 percent from three-point range. That is hardly what you would expect from a consensus First Team All-American who shot 35 percent overall and 36 percent from long range his freshman year last season at Oklahoma.

He was more on par, however, at the free-throw line and in the assist category, with 11 of 17 free throws and an average of 4.3 assists in three games.

Call it nerves or stiffer competition — I believe the basket height and rim circumference is still the same as it was in college and high school — but the brutal truth is that Young has been noticeably underwhelming in his first three games in NBA competition.

Young was the No. 5 overall selection in the 2018 NBA Draft, the top pick of the Dallas Mavericks,. The Mavs used Young’s draft pick, along with a future first-round pick, to execute a trade with the Hawks for European star Luka Doncic, the No. 3 overall pick in the draft.

Young was expected to be a top-10 pick in the draft, but it was somewhat of a surprise that he was taken as high as the No. 5 overall player selected.

Official Summer League action got underway on Friday night in Las Vegas, where Young hopes to regain his shooting touch and perform more up to his capability on the offensive end.

Atlanta lost all three of its games in Salt Lake City, to Memphis, San Antonio and Utah, by 15, 22 and 5 points, respectively. The Hawks will play New York, Portland and Chicago over three of the next four days, followed by a tournament, beginning on Wednesday, that will determine the Summer League champion.

All 30 NMA teams are taking part in the Summer League this year for the first time.

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