Trae Young is learning to unlock a new level of stardom in his seventh NBA season. The three-time All-Star has put together a strong year, averaging a league-leading 11.9 assists per game to his 23.1 points. Those individual numbers have typically been fantastic for him, but there's another level left for him to reach -- and it appears that he's finally starting to get there.
Atlanta Hawks head coach Quin Snyder joined The Steakhouse on Friday morning to discuss his star point guard's continued growth, and what he's seen from him on the floor in recent weeks.
"The thing that people don't think about is that Trae can be aggressive offensively without shooting, and I think that's one of the things that he's really getting better and better at," Snyder said about Young. "It's knowing when the team needs him to do different things."
Fresh off a 43-point performance against Phoenix, Young has continued to show the ability to dominate with the ball in his hands. Yet, what has made him even more dangerous this season is how he has developed in more ways beyond just volume shooting.
Snyder told The Steakhouse that he's struck a balance between making teams locate him this year, whether he has the ball in his hands or not.
"What that does is make him more efficient," he said about what has made him increasingly difficult for teams to defend. "The last 10 games he's back up over 40 percent from three and his shots are coming in from different places and at different times."
Snyder likened Trae's continued development to that of a pitcher.
"It's his ability to take what the defense gives you," Snyder said. "It's like a pitcher, Trae's got a great fastball and he's developed a curveball. [Now] he's learning really how to spot his pitches and make it harder to hit.
"[We're] old enough to remember the Matrix," he continued. "There are those clips where everything just slows down. That's what the game looks like for Trae. He's just able to see things before other people see them."