Trae Young

Young continued to shine as one of the league's top point guards last season, ranking fourth among qualified players with 27.2 points per game and third with 9.7 assists per contest. He enjoyed his most efficient shooting campaign to date, making 46.0 percent of his attempts from the field, 38.2 percent from three-point range and 90.4 percent from the charity stripe -- each of which was a career-best mark. The increased percentages and general good health -- Young played in 76 of 82 games -- pushed the fourth-year star into top-five territory in terms of overall fantasy production. However, it may be difficult for Young to replicate his numbers in the coming campaign now that Atlanta has added Dejounte Murray to its backcourt. The move was partially made to give the Hawks another ballhandler and playmaker, which sounds good from a team perspective but not so much from a fantasy angle. That's not to say that Young should be expected to experience a steep statistical drop -- he's too good for that. However, he probably isn't going to post a 33.3 percent usage rate (fourth-highest in the league) again now that he's sharing the backcourt with Murray, whose usage was at 26.8 percent last season. If Young can maintain his increased shooting efficiency and mesh well with Murray, he should still rank among the league's most productive point guards. Still, it's logical to anticipate a slight reduction from last season's gaudy stats.

With the Hawks adding significant talent and depth during the 2020 offseason, Young's role decreased slightly last year. He saw nearly a two-percentage-point drop in usage rate and averaged 25.3 points, 9.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists in 33.7 minutes. The result was Young ranking 22nd in per-game fantasy production compared to his 2019-20 mark of 7th. The point guard also continued to struggle with his field-goal efficiency, shooting just 43.8 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from three. However, he's been able to make up for it with an impressive 88.6 percent free-throw percentage -- a massive boost considering he shot 8.7 free throws per game last season. Young was also part of the Hawks' surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals, and in his 16 postseason appearances, he averaged 28.8 points on 42/31/87 shooting, 9.5 assists, 2.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals. Notably, he went for 48 points and 11 assists against the Bucks in Game 1 of the ECF. Heading into 2021-22, Atlanta made very few significant offseason moves, so Young's role will remain unchanged. At this point, we know he's a nightly threat for 30-and-10, so Young needs to work on cleaning up his efficiency to improve his fantasy value. Ultimately, his upside as a still-developing 23-year-old makes him an automatic second-round pick.

Young made a huge leap during his 2019-20 sophomore campaign, setting highs nearly across the board. The point guard was fourth in scoring (29.6 points per game) and second in passing (9.3 assists per game) while also averaging 4.3 rebounds, 3.4 threes and 1.1 steals. That resulted in Young ranking seventh in fantasy on a per-game basis in eight-category leagues. He's taken complete control of the Hawks' offense and is no stranger to huge performances, posting 12 games with at least 60 fantasy points in 60 appearances. The addition of Clint Capela should also provide Young with great pick-and-roll and lob options, which could help him boost his assists even higher. That said, it remains to be seen how much further Young can elevate his raw production since he's already averaged nearly 30 points and 10 assists per game. From here, his strides may mostly be in efficiency and steals. Plus, the Hawks revamped their team during the offseason, adding Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo, Kris Dunn and Bogdan Bogdanovic. The result could be more work off-ball for Young. Even if that's the case, he figures to be worth a top-10 pick in most fantasy leagues.

Expectations are growing for Trae Young and the Hawks heading into the 2019-20 season, as the point guard is coming off a stellar second half of his rookie campaign that made for a competitive Rookie of the Year race down the stretch. In 81 appearances and starts last season, Young averaged 19.1 points, 8.1 assists and 3.7 rebounds, but it's his post-All-Star break numbers that really stand out. In his final 23 games of the regular season, Young averaged 24.7 points, 9.2 assists and 4.7 rebounds across 33.1 minutes per game, and his three-point shooting percentage raised from 31.2 percent to 34.8 percent during that stretch. His 30.8 percent usage rate after the All-Star break would rank in the top 10 among all eligible NBA players. Heading into his sophomore season, Young's usage is not expected to dip. The offense operated at its best with Young as the focal point, and he will now be surrounded by even more young talent with the addition of De'Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish in the first round of the 2019 draft.

Young burst onto the college basketball scene as a freshman at Oklahoma, with his electric scoring ability and three-point range instantly drawing comparisons to NBA champion Steph Curry. Young would ultimately finish the season as Division 1's leading scorer (27.4 points per game) and assist man (8.7 per game), while hitting 118 three-pointers. He chipped in with 3.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals as well, while knocking down 36 percent of his deep balls. There are a few concerns with Young's transition to the NBA. He's only 6-foot-2 and doesn't have much length, so he could struggle to gain separation offensively, as well as keep some of the league's taller guards in check on the defensive side of the ball. There were also times when he disappeared against some of the better teams in the NCAA and his specific skill-set as a deep-ball threat poses potential issues with his efficiency. That said, Young is heading into an extremely advantageous situation after being drafted by the Hawks with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Atlanta traded last year's starting point guard, Dennis Schroder, to the Thunder this offseason, which should give Young an opportunity to jump into the starting unit right away. Jeremy Lin was added to the roster and could start if Young struggles during training camp or the preseason, but it's still Young's job to lose. As a result, the 19-year-old is slated for big minutes from the get go and is easily one of the more intriguing rookies from this year's class when looking at Fantasy potential. Lin should help take the pressure off Young at times and fellow youngsters Taurean Prince and John Collins are also on the rise, so the first-round pick should have some solid pieces alongside him to boost his assist numbers. Expectations will be high going into the season, though as mentioned previously, Fantasy owners will have to keep in mind his status as a rookie, as well as the potential for inefficiency issues going up against NBA talent.