(AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
There’s no doubt how good Trae Young was for the Hawks last season. They were the 2nd most effective offense in the league and that’s largely down to Young’s exploits. He literally took Atlanta’s offense to the point where it was the 2nd most effective in the league.
But, as effectively as Young played that role, he ended up being their only source of offense. No one else on the team was able to create a shot. The Hawks paid for it in the playoffs when the Heat harassed him. To solve this problem, they came out and traded for Dejounte Murray.
Can Murray and Young work well together? Specifically, can Trae Young give up the ball and still be effective? Its utilization rate over the past 3 years has floated at 33% and above. Just 15% of his 2-point attempts and 29% of his 3-point attempts were assisted, per Basketball Reference. He’s never had to play without the ball before.
He will have to do a bit with Murray in the fold. If he can, the Hawks’ offense should stay strong as their defense improves behind the addition of Murray.
