Great news about Trae Young, Giannis

Less encouraging signs for the Rockets and Warriors

BY DAVID THORPE

For those of us of a certain age, Dominique Wilkins comes to mind when you think of the Atlanta Hawks. That’ll change this season, as ‘Nique is being replaced by Trae Young. He is to offense what Patrick Beverley is to defense: certain that he simply can not be stopped. He is a passer/playmaker and a shooter/scorer, and he brings all his heart to every millisecond his hands are on the ball. He just wants to kick ass constantly. 

He’s way more than a gunner. He’s surgical. Even at 21 he understands the nuances of the game better than most. Watch as Young refuses the screen (meaning he doesn’t use it). That gives him a tiny edge to drive past his defender. Here’s where the intelligence and attitude come in. He doesn’t just race to the rim; he gobbles up the space between his defender and himself. This, in effect, puts his defender on his hip and just behind him, which allows him to prevent the defender from recovering and cutting off his avenue to the rim. And then he’s pa…