Is Trae Young the Next Steph Curry?

Compared to this past spring, the range of opinions on Atlanta Hawks' rookie Trae Young’s trajectory have narrowed. Once at about a 50/50 bust to All-Star ratio, the doubters are fewer and far between now that they've seen Young play at the NBA level. But they are still there. Of course, both the criticism and praise come with the caveat that they are based in projection and not a take on his current status, but many critics still maintain that his high turnover rate and inability to guard will not be outweighed by his superlative shooting.

No matter how you shake it though, Young is ahead of schedule. At just over 20 years old, he could use the next two years as game speed shooting drills (he pretty much already is) and still be on pace with the development of Steph Curry. Sorry, we have to—because, well, any Young evaluation is in comparison with Curry.

In college, the Curry comparisons were natural—both players were walking heat checks that launched threes that seemed to have the intent to make things personal, with baby faces that rub in their stature even further. However, that might be where the current comparisons end.

Curry’s shot selection, which fell short of any standard of shooting discernment during his rise, would be laughed at by Young. If Curry had the green light, Young was color blind. In their freshman years, Young averaged four more attempts per game despite being on a power conference roster. It took Curry two more years, plus the lengthened leash that comes along with being an upperclassman to surpass Young’s freshman year attempts. Ultimately though, as freshmen, Young’s scoring numbers in the Big 12—compared to the Southern Conference, which Curry competed in while at Davidson—are more impressive.

Additionally, while Curry’s current skill set has become the standard for that of a modern-day point guard, his ability to handle and facilitate as a "true point" was in question entering the draft.

You can discredit Young’s scoring by calling attention to his shaky shooting percentage but he has a clear leg up on Curry as an assist man at this point in his career. Young averaged three assists more as a freshman than Curry did as a junior.