Trae Young has been named All-Star for the second time in his career this season. The 23-year-old was nothing short of amazing for the Atlanta Hawks this season and there is no denying that he deserved his all-star angle this term.
Now in his fourth year in the league, Young was able to take his game to another level. He has firmly established himself as one of the most powerful scorers in the league, with opposing defenses counting on him every night. As such, the 6-foot-1 point guard was forced to find ways to develop his offensive game to remain effective in the enhanced defense he faced in every game.
According to Young himself, he has put a lot of time and effort into improving his midfield this season. He has always been known as the sharp shooting 3-point specialist, and for him to integrate this new weapon into his game is integral to his success this season:
“I make more shots, take my time, make my shots more efficient now,” Young said, via Shauna Powell of NBA.com. “I’m focused and locked into every game to do that. I wanted to work on the mid-range, add that to my game, and it gives me a different tool, a different weapon. I hit the middle range and into the ‘ Getting in the middle is the key. If I keep beating them, people will have to respect that and maybe it will help my teammates to keep an open mind. I could be more consistent, but the hard work I put in over the summer pays off.
This season, the Hawks superstar takes about 13% of his shots from midfield. This is a big improvement from the 5.4% he tried last season. It is worth noting that Young also saw a bump in his scoring this term, averaging 27.9 points per game compared to his 25.3-point scoring clip last year. Its efficiency is also up despite its increased volume. This season, Trae shot a career-best 45.5 percent from the ground on 20.3 shots, compared to 43.8 percent last season on 17.7 attempts.
The Atlanta Hawks are fighting for the love life in the East right now as they currently sit in 10th place in the conference. All hope is not lost this season, but there is no denying that this team will rely heavily on Trae Young with the hope of a further extended postseason run this term.
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