Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young’s 5 best games of the 2019-20 NBA season

4. Hawks vs 76ers; January 30, 2020

I would not be surprised to see Trae Young’s ball-dominant, confidence-dripping style of play become the source of a number of rivalries with Eastern Conference opponents in the coming years. And if I was a betting man, I’d bet on the Philadelphia 76ers being one of those rivals. Long, athletic dudes like Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid, don’t take kindly to a wiry, diminutive guard swaggering all over the court and having his way. As the saying goes, however, to the victor go the spoils.

On January 30, 2020, Trae Young led the Hawks to victory over the 76ers with 39 points, 18 assists, six rebounds and two steals, while shooting 9-of-22 from the field, 3-of-9 from three and 18-of-20 from the free throw line. Young had a double-double in the first quarter, scoring 14 points and dishing out seven assists, while shooting 3-of-7 from the field, 1-of-3 from three and 7-of-8 from the free throw line.

This game is a great example of the way Young uses his foul-drawing machinations to keep longer, more athletic defenders on their heels. Young is slight, but manages to take the fight to his defenders more times than not. His ball-handling skills, quickness, and change of pace keep the defense on their heels, but he can also deliver a blow.

Young gauges distance and keeps defenders at bay with his off-arm, often baiting the defender into hand-fighting only to pin their arm and throw up a shot to draw a foul. And he almost always jumps into his primary defender if he’s going up for a contested layup. All of these tactics prevent the defense from dictating the level of physicality. Sometimes he’ll throw his head back as he’s driving, teasing a flop, only to continue his drive. That sort of tease makes the defender aware of their physicality and lets them know, “There is a foul here if I want it, watch yourself.”

Young’s foul-drawing has other obvious benefits, easy buckets. The free throw line is still the most efficient way to score the basketball, especially when you shoot them at an 86 percent clip, as Young does. Young continued to pour in points, even as he dealt with a subpar shooting night. Further improvement for Young should include improving his the-point percentage and reducing his turnovers. But this game demonstrated the defense-warping power Young already has with his passing, ball-handling, and three-level scoring.