Trae Young’s Easiest Buckets

5Gifs Hawks v. Grizzlies

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December 26, 2020

Trae Young was not challenged on defense, because the Grizzlies’ offensive sets had three players involved, while the other two spaced out to the corners. Trae often guarded a player in the corner. Jonas Valančiūnas is a ground-bound center, so Trae did not have to help off his man to muck up lobs and hard rolls to the rim.

The Grizzlies had success denying Trae off the ball. Trae tried to get open, but after one failed juke, he would drift away from the ball and watch his teammates play four on four. Trae finished the game with 36 points, including eight straight to ice the game, earning the Hawks their second win of the season.

1. Feisty defense results in a stop

• Trae fights over the screen, eliminating the dribble handoff (DHO). He comes off his man to stunt at Bradon Clarke in the lane, making him give the ball up, before recovering to the corner.

• Now, as the low man, Trae helps off the corner shooter to show long enough for Reddish to recover to the diving Clarke. 

• When the ball gets swung to the weak side corner, Trae closes out under control and forces Tyus Jones to give the ball up.

• This possession ends with Jones shooting a contested airball.

2. Dynamic off ball action leads to a floater

• Trae passes to John Collins above the 3 point line and sets a down screen for Cam Reddish in the corner. Usually, Reddish would come up and receive the DHO, but Grayson Allen overplays him, and he cuts to the other side of the floor.

• Trae veers back, receives the DHO, and drives middle with Ja Morant trailing. Jonas Valančiūnas is first occupied by the cutting Reddish and then the rolling Collins, so he can’t help on Trae’s floater. 

• Every Hawks player is doing something productive on this possession: Trae penetrates the defense; Collins garners attention as the roller; De’Andre Hunter spaces the floor on the wing; and Bruno Fernando sets an off ball screen for the flaring Reddish.

3. In a flash, a bobbled dribble can become a wide open layup

• Trae drives right but is walled off. He’s bobbling the ball with six seconds on the shot clock but somehow finds a cutting Kevin Huerter for a layup.

• Possessions like these usually end in long, contested jump shots – wins for the defense. Instead, the Hawks get a layup. These plays swing games.

4. Patience as an inbounder leads to a dunk

• Trae has a simple pass to Bogdanović for an open mid-range jumper. Instead, he waits for Huerter’s screen to free up Nathan Knight for the alley-oop.

5. Trae cooks Morant with the handle

• Trae takes advantage of Morant’s aggressive defense to drive past him.

• Notice the subtle head fake he gives to the corner to freeze Kyle Anderson just long enough to get to the rim.

• Trae’s ability to hang the ball makes his handle lethal. Instead of pounding the ball, he cups it, so it hangs in the air for a beat longer. While the ball hangs, he can read his defender. His dribble moves are more effective because they aren’t scripted – he’s reacting to the defense. 

• At the start of the clip, Trae hangs the ball as if he’s going into a move, but it’s a feint. He puts the ball down. When he hangs the ball the second time, Morant is relaxed, and Trae blows by him.

• Tough spot for Morant. Down by six with a minute left, he has to guard Trae aggressively to force a turnover. Playing that high up on the floor makes anyone susceptible to blow-bys.

And One!

And the ref goes down!