After trading Dennis Schroder to the Oklahoma City Thunder, it is crystal clear that the Atlanta Hawks plan to undergo a full-scale rebuild. Their decision to trade the draft rights of Euro star Luka Doncic to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights of Trae Young and a future first-round pick earned plenty of criticisms around the league. However, the Hawks look confident that they made the right decision to make Young the centerpiece of their rebuilding process.
In his lone season playing for the Oklahoma Sooners, Trae Young has shown lots of potential to become a superstar in the league. With his ability to knock down three-pointers, the 19-year-old point guard has drawn comparisons to Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. As of now, Young is expected to compete for the starting role against Jeremy Lin, who the Hawks acquired from the Brooklyn Nets via trade.
Young and Lin play the same position and are more effective with the ball in their hands. However, Young doesn’t feel any pressure and isn’t worried about Lin stealing the spotlight in Atlanta’s backcourt. According to Michael Scotto of The Athletic , Young strongly believes he and Lin will “work really well together.”
“From what I’ve heard, he’s going to be a great mentor for me,” Young said of Lin. “We’ve been talking. He’s a good dude. He’s been through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. He’s seen it all, so I’m looking forward to picking his brain.”
Trae Young isn’t worried about sharing minutes with Jeremy Lin: “He’s going to be a great mentor for me” https://t.co/PrHd2pYN0V pic.twitter.com/ObVXUCr8Gp
— Bleacher Report NBA (@BR_NBA) August 12, 2018
As most people think, the main reason why the Hawks brought Jeremy Lin to Atlanta is to serve as a mentor for Trae Young. Lin may not be on the level of elite point guards in the league like Russell Westbrook, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Kyrie Irving, and John Wall, but Young can definitely learn a lot from him. Though they are both point guards, Lin opened up the possibility that he and Young could play together in the Hawks’ backcourt next season.
“I know the Hawks plan to use us on the court together. I had played for the Rockets, Lakers, and Hornets that put two point guards on the court simultaneously, so I know Trae and I could play very fast.”
Despite spending the most of his NBA career as a point guard, Jeremy Lin has also shown his effectiveness playing at 2 in his lone season with the Charlotte Hornets. In 78 games he played during the 2015-16 NBA season, Lin averaged 11.7 points and 3.0 assists on 41.2 percent shooting from the field and 33.6 percent from beyond the arc. The Hawks aren’t expected to compete in the Eastern Conference Playoffs 2019, but the potential backcourt duo of Young and Lin gives their fans something to be excited about next season.
