Atlanta Hawks: Trae Young’s stock is rising as an All-Star starter

Trae Young’s slump that is no more

Just like investing in a company, there are times when your stock can go down. There’s no hiding that Young was in a bit of a slump earlier in the season.

If you don’t remember, he was getting to the free throw line at a James Harden-esque rate, averaging 13.2 attempts per game. That all stopped during a game against the Brooklyn Nets, where Steve Nash, one of Young’s idols, said that his foul baiting was “not basketball”.

Not only did that happen, but soon after a report came out about a disagreement in the locker room between him and John Collins.

In that short time, Young found himself in a slump. His free throw attempts went down, and so did his scoring average. If you did the eye test, he wasn’t as nearly as aggressive as he was to start the season. Instead, he looked more passive, trying to get his teammates more involved.

In a game against the Detroit Pistons, Young shook off the rust finishing with 38 points and 10 assists, with 21 of his points coming in the third quarter. In the next game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Young scored 43 points and went 8-12 from the three-point line.

Over his last six games, Young is averaging 35.5 points and the Hawks are 4-2. If there was still any discussion of him being in a slump, or putting up empty stats, it should be put to rest. These are legitimate All-Star numbers that Young has put up, but his Eastern Conference counterparts could have an argument to start as well.