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NBA: The top 4 players under 21 in the NBA today

By Luke Duffy

DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies jump for a loose ball in the second half at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
DALLAS, TEXAS - MARCH 06: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks and Ja Morant #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies jump for a loose ball in the second half at American Airlines Center on March 06, 2020 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Atlanta Hawks
NBA (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) /

4. Trae Young

Is Trae Young not high enough on this list? You could certainly make the case, NBA highlight packages these days tend to feature him heavily because of his limitless range and ability to make defenders look silly by putting the ball through their legs. Young is the player that makes the offense of the Atlanta Hawks hum.

An All-Star in only his second season, Young won’t be 22 until September of this year and was averaging a ridiculous 29.6 points and 9.3 assists before the stoppage of games. It is a real shame that he won’t be coming back once the games start again, as he automatically makes a game more fun by being out on the court.

Hawks fans certainly won’t mind that Young occupies the fourth spot here because they likely wouldn’t trade him for any other young player in the league right now. His skill set is perfect for the way the game is played today, and with the Hawks doing their best to surround him with other good youngsters such as John Collins, the future is bright for the franchise.

Related Story. Trae Young’s 5 best games of the 2019-20 season. light

The timeline of Young matches up with this, which is equally as important. He is good enough already to be playing in the postseason and perhaps helping his squad steal a game, but he won’t have much of an issue missing the playoffs for the next couple of years while the Hawks continue to improve.

The only real issue facing Young as his career continues is his inability to defend opponents. Given that he is so good at scoring and facilitating, this can be overlooked. Especially if the Hawks can put players around him who are above average defenders themselves. Stephen Curry, who Young is often compared to, turned himself into an average defender over time too, and if Young got to that level it would be an added bonus.

Right now this isn’t a problem, but down the line when the games start to matter more, opponents are going to zone in on Young’s weakness here. He has single-handedly made the Hawks relevant again in under 20 months though, and you can’t ask for any more than that from a player of Young’s age and experience.