NBA Draft: Luka Doncic rises to first in 2018 NBA Redraft

Trae Young “falling” to third is not a knock on the dynamic and confident guard, and more an acknowledgment of how good this draft class is. Young is one of the best young guards in the game and has already proven he won’t be rolled over in a postseason environment.

On NBA draft night in June 2018, the Atlanta Hawks held the No. 3 pick, then picked up a future lottery pick to drop back two places and take Young. He has not disappointed, averaging 19.1 points and 8.1 assists as a rookie and is now at 24.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game averages for his career. In the last 20 years, only John Wall (8.3) and Ben Simmons (8.2) have averaged more assists in their first season.

Playmaking for his teammates is Young’s greatest strength, as he sees the court like few others. In his first playoff run this past year, Young pushed his Atlanta Hawks all the way to the Conference Finals. Along the way, he dropped 25 points and 18 assists on the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers; those 18 assists rank seventh among all players since 2001, and the names ahead of him are Nash, Kidd and Rondo.

Young brings a complete offensive package, able to shoot as far back as the logo and a crafty finisher inside. That craftiness extends to foul-drawing as well, as Young ranks fourth in the league in free-throw attempts over the past two seasons. The problems for Young come on the defensive side, where he is one of the league’s very worst players, dying on screens without the size to stick with larger guards. That is a weakness common to many elite offensive players, and he and the Hawks showed this past postseason that won’t hold Young or the team back from success.

In our redraft, Trae Young goes third to the Dallas Mavericks, who by our redraft rules still jump up to No. 3 and get their point guard of the future. Paired with one of the best offensive coaches in the league in Rick Carlisle, it’s possible Young’s growth as a player would go even faster in Dallas.