Trae Young is safe now from falls like this, as Dejounte Murray is coming to Atlanta to be his teammate.
This was an interesting trade to say the least, and while this pairing will definitely be flashy, there are 2 sides to whether it could work out for Atlanta.
Personally, I’m not convinced. Let me explain why. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it.
Taking a look at this chart you see that Trae and Dejounte are both in the top 3 in chances created in the pick and roll actions.
They both operate great off of it, and when it comes to how they get their points, while we know Young has a preference for the three point shot, Murray lives in the mid range more as well as attacking on the drive.
He has the great physique to both blow by a defender, but also if they stay with him, to take the contact and finish at the basket.
His build and athleticism also allows him to be one of the elite on ball defenders in the league.
He did lead the NBA in steals last season which is a stat that I don’t believe in very much since Allen Iverson constantly led the league back in his day and he wasn’t a great defender to say the least. But still, you see these clips, you see the tremendous energy and effort that he shows on the ball against some of the best ball handlers in the league. Watch him clamp down Donovan Mitchell here, one of the shiftiest guards in the league.
Even tho the advanced analytics don’t really portray him as an elite defender, I am 100% trusting my eyes on this one.
Everything I touched on so far has been objectively and subjectively positive. I like Dejounte a lot as a player. But here’s why I have some doubts about the fit.
For one, they both need the ball in their hands. But when Trae has it, Murray would kind of act as a catch and shoot guy like Bogdanovic or Huerter. And his 3 point percentage is below average so I’m not sure how comfortable he would be with that.
However, people are more commenting about the other way around. Kevin O’Connor from the Ringer said:
Dejounte Murray will unlock a better version of Trae Young if Trae embraces playing off-ball with more effort in screen and handoff actions plus relocations within the flow of the offense. No more hands on knees resting at the logo. Young has it in him to be a constant threat.
So basically if he turns into Steph Curry, that would be great for him.
But I see a lot of ifs and unknowns here.
Remember the talk about Harden and Westbrook, if they could only set some screens, and move off the ball, and not sit around watching the play when they don’t have the ball…
That would solve all their problems. But they never did it.
It’s not because they are bad players or anything, but in my opinion it’s pretty hard to break habits that brought you all the way to being an NBA All Star.
Trae might be able to do it but you’ll have to agree that he’ll be in the minority if he does.
I still see the Hawks being a lot better just for the fact that when Young isn’t in the game, the team would still have a great playmaker and be good instead of looking like a mess, which has been the case at times when he’s been on the bench.
This, along with the huge defensive upside that Murray brings, and the fact that reportedly the Hawks are not done yet and looking to find a deal for Collins, the team will look drastically different next season. And I’m hoping it’s for the better.
Let me know in the comments what do you think is their ceiling next year. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
This was an interesting trade to say the least, and while this pairing will definitely be flashy, there are 2 sides to whether it could work out for Atlanta.
Personally, I’m not convinced. Let me explain why. What up everybody, my name is Stefan and this is Heat Check. Let’s get into it.
Taking a look at this chart you see that Trae and Dejounte are both in the top 3 in chances created in the pick and roll actions.
They both operate great off of it, and when it comes to how they get their points, while we know Young has a preference for the three point shot, Murray lives in the mid range more as well as attacking on the drive.
He has the great physique to both blow by a defender, but also if they stay with him, to take the contact and finish at the basket.
His build and athleticism also allows him to be one of the elite on ball defenders in the league.
He did lead the NBA in steals last season which is a stat that I don’t believe in very much since Allen Iverson constantly led the league back in his day and he wasn’t a great defender to say the least. But still, you see these clips, you see the tremendous energy and effort that he shows on the ball against some of the best ball handlers in the league. Watch him clamp down Donovan Mitchell here, one of the shiftiest guards in the league.
Even tho the advanced analytics don’t really portray him as an elite defender, I am 100% trusting my eyes on this one.
Everything I touched on so far has been objectively and subjectively positive. I like Dejounte a lot as a player. But here’s why I have some doubts about the fit.
For one, they both need the ball in their hands. But when Trae has it, Murray would kind of act as a catch and shoot guy like Bogdanovic or Huerter. And his 3 point percentage is below average so I’m not sure how comfortable he would be with that.
However, people are more commenting about the other way around. Kevin O’Connor from the Ringer said:
Dejounte Murray will unlock a better version of Trae Young if Trae embraces playing off-ball with more effort in screen and handoff actions plus relocations within the flow of the offense. No more hands on knees resting at the logo. Young has it in him to be a constant threat.
So basically if he turns into Steph Curry, that would be great for him.
But I see a lot of ifs and unknowns here.
Remember the talk about Harden and Westbrook, if they could only set some screens, and move off the ball, and not sit around watching the play when they don’t have the ball…
That would solve all their problems. But they never did it.
It’s not because they are bad players or anything, but in my opinion it’s pretty hard to break habits that brought you all the way to being an NBA All Star.
Trae might be able to do it but you’ll have to agree that he’ll be in the minority if he does.
I still see the Hawks being a lot better just for the fact that when Young isn’t in the game, the team would still have a great playmaker and be good instead of looking like a mess, which has been the case at times when he’s been on the bench.
This, along with the huge defensive upside that Murray brings, and the fact that reportedly the Hawks are not done yet and looking to find a deal for Collins, the team will look drastically different next season. And I’m hoping it’s for the better.
Let me know in the comments what do you think is their ceiling next year. That’s it for now, subscribe and talk to you in the next one. Peace out.
