Getty Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks, who scored a career high in points against the Chicago Bulls.
Atlanta Hawks rookie, Trae Young is playing some good basketball these days!
Check his stat line in his last five games:
30 points 10 assists
23 points and 8 assists
36 points and 10 assists
49 points and 16 assists.
Young has something to say about it to those who doubted him:
Keep that same energy!
Many have compared Young to Golden State Warriors NBA Champion point guard, Steph Curry.
GettyGolden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry
That’s a natural comparison to make!
At Oklahoma, Young posted 27 points, 8 assists and nearly 4 rebounds per game.
Young, however, sees it different! He says that he is a fan of retired NBA veteran, Rod Strickland. In fact, over the summer, Young says that Rod Strickland has been influential to his career and give good advice.
Strickland was drafted by the New York Knicks with the 19th pick in the 1988 NBA Draft.
The NBA’s assists leader in 1998, Strickland is New York City royalty by way of the Bronx.
During his 17 year career with the Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, Portland Blazers, Washington Wizards, Toronto Raptors, Miami Heat, Orlando Magic and Houston Rockets, Strickland posted career numbers of 13 points, three rebounds, and seven assists.
To get the highest praise from Young was flattering. “I’m a fan and I’m honored that he said that,” Rod Strickland told me on the Scoop B Radio Podcast.
Strickland, shifted into coaching after becoming an assistant coach with John Calipari at both Memphis and Kentucky. Currently Strickland is the program manager for the NBA G League’s professional path.
The retired player says that Young reached out to him for guidance after a bad game and the two have been in-sync ever since. “He had a subpar game,” he said.
“He reached out to me to ask me how he could ever have a game like that. I basically told him that that’s part of the process. What you experience one game is good because now you know what’s in front of you…I told him it’s going to make him better.”
So then there’s this Steph Curry comparison that many make. Strickland ain’t buying it. “I don’t really believe that,” said Strickland.
Strickland also says he knows Young will be superior in the long run. He detailed how the Hawk can improve too! “He didn’t shoot a good percentage in college,” said Strickland.
“But he took some bad shots in college, he was forcing shots in college. But that was the college game. That was their system. But I think if he gets quality shots in the NBA, which he will, I think it becomes different.”
Strickland cited a similar example during his time coaching at Kentucky under John Calipari. “I watched Bradley Beal in college against us in Kentucky,” he said.
Getty ImagesSteph Curry and the Warriors are set to take on the Washington Wizards on Wednesday.
“I used to sit on the bech and watch him warm up and said: ‘Man this kid’s got the golden stroke.’ And in the game, he was missing. That season in college, his last year, he didn’t really shott the ball well, but he had a strok and I kept saying that. And then he goes to the NBA and he hits everything. Sometimes college is harder than you think, because teams can focus on you, they can run schemes and all that. I think Trae Young will have a great career.”