Atlanta Hawks: 5 predictions for the 2018-19 NBA season

3. Trae Young will become the starter at point guard

Recent trade acquisition Jeremy Lin is currently penciled in as the starting point guard for the Hawks, but it’s only a matter of time before Trae Young takes his spot. After all, the team didn’t trade for him on draft night just to be a sixth man.

I give it two months at the most before head coach Lloyd Pierce makes the change. Lin is a fine NBA point guard, but his lack of defense makes him better suited to come off the bench and provide instant offense as opposed to getting the lion’s share of the minutes.

Young possesses a lot of the qualities that many of the top NBA point guards have: crafty ball handling skills, deep range, and the ability to create for his teammates.

Young may start out a bit shaky, but he will eventually figure it out. The best way for him to do so is as a starter, not playing behind a veteran with a lower ceiling. It’s not like the Hawks are in win-now mode anyway.