This season, there has been an emphasis on limiting non-basketball moves that draw fouls. The move has limited perimeter players’ ability to create contact with defenders and get easy shots at the line.
One of the people that fans thought would be affected by the foul rule change was Atlanta Hawks star, Trae Young. Many have criticized him for foul-hunting before, including former New York mayor Bill De Blasio. Trae Young averaged 8.7 FTA last season.
Despite the fact that Trae Young’s FTA decreased to 5.6 this season, he is averaging virtually the same numbers. As of now, Trae Young is putting up 26.3 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 9.1 APG, while shooting a career-high 38.8% from beyond the arc. It is clear that the supposed drop-off that Trae Young’s game was supposed to face this season is non-existent.
Trae Young’s father Ray Young has recently roasted his son’s detractors who claimed that Trae Young was good due to his ability to draw fouls. Ray Young pointed out that his son put up numbers even during his time at the University of Oklahoma, and added that “skill will always finish 1st”.
Since 5th grade I’ve watched my son work his butt off & put up NUMBERS..real NUMBERS Google his year at OU. Now y’all wanna act like it happened because of foul baiting🤣🤣 Keep moving the goal post if y’all want to. SKILL will always finish 1st nothing else! https://t.co/xWOossz3qH
— Ray Young (@rayfordyoung) December 2, 2021
Since 5th grade I’ve watched my son work his butt off & put up NUMBERS..real NUMBERS Google his year at OU. Now y’all wanna act like it happened because of foul baiting Keep moving the goal post if y’all want to. SKILL will always finish 1st nothing else!
As of right now, Trae Young is playing like an offensive superstar, and it was clear even from last season that drawing fouls was only one part of his game. He is a great shooter and playmaker. Anyone that can get to the Eastern Conference Finals without a 2nd All-Star is going to be fine no matter what.
The Atlanta Hawks are currently the 7th seed in the Eastern Conference, but they have won 8 of their last 9 games. It is clear that they are thriving under Trae Young’s leadership, and perhaps he’ll be able to take them even further than they got last year.
