Atlanta Hawks: 3 candidates for a breakout season in 2018-19

1. Trae Young

Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk traded down to take Trae Young instead of the supposedly surer thing in Luka Doncic because he sees the former Oklahoma Sooner as the long-term conductor of the Hawks’ high-speed offense. Only time will tell if that comes to fruition, but Young has as good a chance as any of the other lottery picks to reach the peaks of NBA stardom.

Yes, he will go through his growing pains, but Young has shown flashes of a top-level guard who can whip passes to his open teammates, create off the dribble, and pull up from Mars. He will have his share of awful games — just as he did in NBA Summer League — but he easily has the most upside of any Hawks player.

Barring something unforeseen, Young will probably start the season on the bench, but if he lives up to his lofty expectations, he won’t be there for long. This team will go as far as Young can take them.