Trae Young had a ridiculous first playoff run with the Atlanta Hawks this season, bringing them to the Eastern Conference Finals and upsetting the No. 1 seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the second round. Trae Young averaged 28.8 PPG and 9.5 APG for the Hawks in the playoffs while hitting some big shots on the playoff stage. Young is 23, and he’s only getting started.
Every great player has a unique playstyle, but everyone generally has some players that they base their game on. In a recent interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio, Trae Young revealed that he took elements from a lot of guards that he’s watched, among which are all-time greats such as Steve Nash and Stephen Curry.
"It's more of just picking up from a lot of different players"
Trae Young talks about the all-time greats he modeled his game after growing up.
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It’s more of picking up from a lot of different players for me. Growing up, I grew up in OKC and I was able to have season tickets with my family, and we were able to go to a lot of NBA games. So I was able to see a lot of my favorite players, guys like Steve Nash and Chris Paul.
Early on when I was a kid in middle school, high school seeing Chauncey Billups and all those guys.
As I got older, Steph, Steph came along. Just being able to watch Steph.
Really a lot of these guys. Tony Parker, the way he can finish around the rim. A lot of these guys I’ve had film of since I was in high school. Just little bits and pieces from everybody.
There is no doubt that Trae Young has a very versatile offensive game, and it’s clear that he learned from the greats that he watched. Shades of those legends show up in Young’s game, such as Stephen Curry’s ability to shoot right after crossing half-court. Obviously Young isn’t as good a player as Stephen Curry yet, nor are their playstyles overall similar. But there are definitely some Stephen Curry traits in Young’s game.
The potential is limitless for Trae Young, and there are many that feel this way. His playoff run impressed many, including legendary point guard Magic Johnson, who gave Trae Young a shoutout for what he accomplished. We’ll see what happens, but Trae Young is definitely talented enough to make a lasting mark on the league.
