Trae gets it done against Brooklyn Long Bois
Game Notes Hawks v. Nets
You’re reading our Game Notes, an in-depth look at a single game. This is our third chance to evaluate Trae Young’s game, and think about what makes him a unique player. We’ll take what we’ve learned from these three games, and apply them to a final player summary, which you’ll see in a few days.
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January 1, 2021
Trae Young is an active defender, but is limited by his size. Trae had to defend this game. He couldn’t switch out of unfavorable matchups because switches would leave him guarding Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant. Overall, his effort and IQ were consistent, but you’ll see numerous examples of how this is not enough to make up for his physical limitations.
The Nets attacked Trae by putting his man, usually Joe Harris, in the weakside corner and running pick and roll action. The Nets have lethal rim rolling centers in DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen, so Trae has to rotate to the paint to protect against the lob. Trae was slightly late on these rotations or ineffective due to his lack of size and explosiveness. And when the ball got kicked out to the corner, he wasn’t fast or long enough to close out effectively.
Trae Young’s game thrives in back and forth offensive battles, and the duel between him and Joe Harris was no exception. Harris was able to launch wet jumpers over Trae’s T-Rex arms. But except for a possession or two, Trae easily skirted around Harris. Harris was also frustrated by Trae Young’s ability to draw fouls by backing that thang up:
Trae Young was able to get his shot, even against teams with length. The Nets are a long team, but apart from a few errant passes, Trae got to his spots for shots he’s comfortable taking and made accurate passes to teammates, resulting in a 114 to 93 win over the Nets.
1st Quarter
Def. (11:50-11:43) Gives up an open 3
Trae gets hung up on a DeAndre Jordan screen and gives up an open 3 for Harris.
Off. (11:17-11:06) Short jumper off the pick and roll
Trae takes advantage of Harris picking him up in a cross match. He snakes the pick and roll and finds space for a short jumper.
Capela impedes Harris’ movement so he can’t contest.
Def. (10:13-10:07) Possible missed rotation
Trae is the low man here, so typically it would be his responsibility to come over and help on DeAndre Jordan’s roll. Instead, Collins comes late.
I’m not sure if Trae missed his rotation or if the game plan dictates that he should stay attached to Harris. Perhaps Trae isn’t tasked with this rotation because of his inability to affect plays at the rim due to his small stature.
Off. (10:01-9:52) Individual brilliance
Kyrie is guarding him far away from the basket, so Trae can get by him, then cross him over, then drive by him again, this time going left. When DeAndre Jordan comes over to help at the free throw line, Trae raises his body a bit as if he’s going to throw a lob. This subtle fake freezes DeAndre Jordan for a moment, and Trae gets to the rim for a layup.
Def. (9:31-9:25) Gives up an open 3
Trae loses contact with Harris and takes a circuitous route around two screens on the sideline and is late closing out to a 3 pointer, which misses.
Trae needs to stay attached to Harris as Harris uses the screens.
Off. (8:45-8:39) Lobs to Capela for the jam
Lazy defense by Kyrie and Durant. Kyrie doesn’t hustle to get back in the play after the screen. And Durant doesn’t tag Capela on the roll, so he has a free rim run.
Off. (8:27-8:21) Trae takes deep early shot clock 3 with numbers
Trae is attacking in transition with a 5 on 4 advantage. DeAndre Jordan is forced to pick him up. Trae wastes the mismatch and the advantage by launching a deep 3. It's not a terrible look for him, but given the context, it is a wasted possession. He should be more patient here. Waiting for Capela to make his rim run would leave Collins wide open on the wing. Also, an isolation against DeAndre Jordan could create a much more open shot for himself or a teammate.
Off. (8:12-8:08) Turnover on half court pass
Poor execution, but the decision to make the pass is sound. Collins has a height and jumping advantage over Kyrie and Harris in the paint.
Def. (7:24-7:18) Poor effort when guarding Kyrie off ball
Trae is guarding Kyrie in a crossmatch. Trae is top-locking Kyrie to force him away from the screen and induce him to cut back door, but Trae finds a way to get drilled by the DeAndre Jordan screen anyway.
Perhaps Capela needs to communicate better here.
Off. (6:14-6:04) Finds Danilo Gallinari with a mismatch
Durant gets switched onto Trae. There are 10 seconds on the shot clock, but instead of Trae attacking Durant in isolation, he finds Gallinari in the mid-post with a smaller defender on him.
I love how he got Gallinari the ball at a spot where he could attack. This is Gallinari’s first touch of the game, so these kinds of plays will help him find his rhythm.
Def. (5:57-5:49) Great technique and effort
Trae’s busy on this possession. His man, Harris, screens for Kyrie, so Trae is forced to show so Kyrie can’t get a direct line to the rim. Once Kyrie’s defender gets back in possession, Trae has to hustle back to Harris. Trae works hard to avoid the Allen screen and contest the Harris jumper.
Off. (5:45-5:38) Slick pocket pass to Collins for bucket
For some reason (perhaps poor transition defense by Kyrie) Allen is switched on to Trae. All five Nets have their eyes on Trae, who threads a perfect pass to Collins.
Kyrie and Durant had some miscommunication on the weak side. It looks like Kyrie is telling Durant to take Gallinari at the wing. That would mean that Kyrie is the low man and it's his responsibility to bump the roll man. Congrats, Kyrie, you played yourself.
In all seriousness, there isn’t much time for a defense to react to a quick pass to such an explosive athlete.
Off. (4:52-4:45) Great patience before making a simple read
Trae waits for a teammate to pop open from the Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanović two-man game. I’m not sure what to call this action by Gallinari and Bogdanović; they look like dogs chasing their tails.
Def. (4:36-4:29) Good effort, but lack of physical tools fail him
Trae stays in front of the Harris drive, but Harris uses his weight advantage to get space by bumping Trae. Trae hustles to contest but Harris uses his height advantage to shoot over him.
This play is indicative of Trae’s defense: he plays with good energy and is usually in the right position, but he doesn’t have the physical tools to impact the game defensively.
Off. (4:23-4:18) Aggressive take gets him a layup
Trae’s defender, Caris Levert, just checked into the game and Trae attacks him right away with a left to right cross over. Trae beats Levert easily because he is guarding him so high on the floor.
My guess is that this should be Kyrie’s rotation as the low man. But he doesn't rotate; Allen does.
Off. (3:45-3:41) Gets to the line after Kyrie gets caught ball watching
Trae plays with force off the ball, attacking right off the catch.
Smart play to put up a shot as Allen reaches in.
Def. (3:39-3:29) Decent initial defense when switched onto Kyrie
Trae ices the pick and roll, forcing Kyrie towards the sideline away from the screen, but Allen flips the direction of the pick and screens Trae anyway.
It’s Trae’s responsibility to box out Allen here because he and Collins switched assignments. Trae doesn’t like contact on the defensive end and Allen, his man, gets a putback.
2nd Quarter
Off. (7:47-7:39) Passes up an open pull up 3 but finds a teammate for a shot
DeAndre Jordan is defending the pick and roll from below the 3 point line. Trae has enough room to launch the Dame Lilliard/Steph Curry-style 3. Instead, he finds Bogdanović when Landry Shamet gets caught overhelping.
Def. (5:39-5:32) Follows defensive principles but lack of physical tools on display
Trae gets in position to help the helper here. When Collins moves to help on Kyrie's drive, Trae sinks to defend DeAndre Jordan (Collins’ man) under the rim. Kyrie makes the pass to the corner and Trae doesn’t have the length to get out and contest.
Def. (4:35-4:30) Great individual defense
Trae moves his feet well to fend off the drive and make his man give the ball up.
Off. (4:18-4:12) Makes a flashy but smart pass out of the pick and pop
Trae is decisive here. DeAndre Jordan is in drop coverage, ready to defend against Trae’s floater. The other defenders are staying home on the shooters. There’s only one play to make, and Trae makes a deliberate behind the back pass for an open 3.
These plays are interesting. Judging by the way the Nets defended this action, they are comfortable letting Collins pop out for open above the break 3s. But the Hawks must also be satisfied with that look. Why else would they have Collins pop for 3?
Off. (4:00-3:54) Gets swallowed up by Durant’s length
Incredible defense by Durant to both deter the pull up (he meets Trae at the 3 point line) and block Trae when he attacks and attempts the scoop shot.
Off. (3:30-3:27) Draws a crafty foul on the pick and roll
Trae takes advantage of Green coming out past the 3 point to defend the pick and roll. Trae creates contact and flings a shot at the rim to draw the foul.
So far, when defending the screener, DeAndre Jordan has played below the 3 point line, Durant at the 3 point line, and Green above the 3 point line.
Off. (3:25-3:20) Finds Collins on a lob out of the pick and roll
Green defends the pick and roll in a semi-drop. He’s not sagging back in the paint, and he’s not up on Trae as he was on the previous pick and roll. Trae is able to lob a pass over the dropped Green to the rolling Collins.
Levert misses his responsibility as the low man to help on the Collins rim run.
Def. (3:09-3:04) Gets caught on an off ball screen
Collins is playing far off of Green, so Green screens Trae, which frees up Harris for an open 3.
Draymond Green and Warriors’ centers run this action to free up shots for Steph Curry and Klay Thompson when their own defenders play off of them.
Def. (2:11-2:07) Makes the right rotation, but it's ineffective
Trae is the low man here in the weakside corner, so it's his responsibility to help on Green rolling to the basket.
Trae is a tad late on the rotation. Ideally, he should beat Green to the top of the charge circle, but Trae was guarding Harris, a shooter, so he’s two steps outside the paint when he starts rotating.
I love how the Nets arranged the pieces for this play. Stashing Harris in the weakside corner puts the low man in a conundrum: come off a shooter early to muck things up in the paint and give up the 3, or stay attached to the shooter and give up a shot at the rim.
Trae can’t make an impact at the rim, and he’s not long enough to get back out to Harris to contest. If the Hawks continue to hide Trae on less threatening players, I expect teams to continue to use this structure and force Trae to make rotations as the low man.
This is hard for any average size guard. The only options are to rotate early enough and swipe down for a steal before the player brings the ball up, or get in position to take a charge like Kyle Lowry.
Def. (1:37-1:30) Falls asleep and gives up an open 3
Trae loses his man and then doesn’t communicate with Solomon Hill as they both close out to the same player, leaving Levert open.
Off. (1:26-1:08) Figuring out gap help
Green meets Trae at the 3 point line. He switches onto him and, with Harris giving gap help to deter the drive, makes him give the ball up.
When Trae gets the ball back, he drives right and Harris comes off his man to stunt at Trae. Trae makes the pass for the semi-open 3. He’s taking what the defense is giving him.
When defending the pick and roll, Green has played Trae above, below, at the 3 point line.
Off. (00:36-00:27) Splits the pick and roll to find an open teammate who overpasses
Green meets Trae at the 3 point line again on the pick and roll. Trae splits the pick and roll and finds Bogdanović for an open above the break 3. Bogdanović tries to swing the ball to Hunter for a higher percentage corner 3, but Harris makes a good closeout which affects the pass, giving Levert time to contest Hunter’s shot.
In the words of Buddy Hield, Bogdanović should’ve pulled that b*tch.
3rd Quarter
Off. (11:26-11:18) Attacks DeAndre Jordan’s drop coverage to get an open look at a floater
Trae sets up Kyrie by looking to go right before dribbling behind his back and using the screen to go left. But the Nets are in solid defensive position: Collins is poorly spaced so his man is above the nail, deterring a drive to the middle; DeAndre Jordan is ready to defend against the floater; and Kyrie avoided getting screened off and is in pursuit. But Trae uses his handle to get DeAndre Jordan to switch on to him. Trae misses the makeable shot, but Capela out-muscles Kyrie for the putback. Trae’s work with the ball here created the favorable mismatch under the rim.
Making tough shots against well-positioned defense is very valuable—it wins games—but it’s unsustainable. Teams that create the most open looks throughout a season or a playoff series will be the teams that win. Trae’s ability to create an open look here against a well-positioned defense that didn’t have a breakdown is gold.
Off. (10:18-10:14) Blows by Kyrie and gets to the lane for free throws
Off. (9:21-9:16) Creates an open look against a well-positioned defense
Trae attacks DeAndre Jordan’s drop coverage by driving left into the middle of the floor. Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot is in position to give gap help and deter the drive, but Trae splits Luwawu-Cabarrot and DeAndre Jordan to get off his floater.
Def. (8:57-8:50) Miscommunication on a switch
Durant and Harris run a pick and roll. Trae shows against Durant, but is eager to get back to Harris, who is getting a flare screen from DeAndre Jordan. Reddish, Durant’s original defender, thinks it's a switch and fights over the screen to get to Harris.
Credit to Harris and Durant here. The threat of a Harris 3 and the threat of Durant doing anything caused this breakdown.
Off. (8:42-8:37) Threat of the lob gives Trae an open floater
DeAndre Jordan is reluctant to step up and take away Trae’s floater because Capela is lurking behind him ready to smash down a lob.
Durant should be sinking into the paint to cover Capela, so DeAndre Jordan can help on Trae.
Def. (6:50-6:42) Decent defense on Kyrie in isolation
Trae can’t cut off Kyrie’s drive. He competes to the end of the play, but Kyrie has too much sauce for him here.
Off. (6:35-6:30) Finds Collins for a lob
Trae attacks middle off the pick and roll, and Allen is in no man’s land. He’s not close enough to affect a shot or pass from Trae, but he’s also not attached to Collins, who has snuck in behind him. Trae fits the pass into a tight window: over Allen and between the rim and Luwawu-Cabarrot.
Luwawu-Cabarrot has a foot in the paint, but can’t prevent the lob.
Def. (6:13-6:09) Late rotation as the low man
Trae’s only a little late here, but given his stature, he has to beat Allen to the top of the charge circle for any chance to affect this play.
4th Quarter
Off. (8:22-8:15) Takes what the defense gives him in a pick and roll
The Nets defend this pick and roll well. Prince rotates over to Capela without overcommitting. Green and Kyrie work well to corral Trae and make him pick up his dribble. Kyrie keeps his hands high to prevent the lob, and Prince closes out on the shooter.
The Nets played great defense and Trae still found Reddish for a decent look.
Def. (8:10-8:05) Good help positioning, but ineffective
Trae anticipates the Levert drive and gives help. Unfortunately, Reddish can’t slow down or bump Levert off his straight-line drive, so Trae’s rotation does nothing to stop the layup.
Off. (7:10-7:04) Cool pick and roll wrinkle leads to free throws
Trae attacks the middle going left off the pick and roll. Prince bumps down to Capela to deter the lob. We’ve seen this before. But instead of Reddish just chilling in the corner, he loops around to the wing and cuts down the lane. Trae gets him the ball with a head of steam, and the scrambling defense is forced to foul.
Def. (6:37-6:27) Early rotation to prevent Allan from rumbling to the lane
It’s not pretty, but it's good defense. Trae has a foot in the paint, waiting for a pass to Allen. Active ball pressure on Kyrie makes him loft a pass in, giving Trae enough time to get to Allen, who gives the ball up. Too bad though, Huerter overhelps and leaves Harris open for an open 3.
Off. (3:16-3:09) Runs the pick and roll and gets the ball back for a spot-up 3.
This is the same wrinkle the Hawks used at the 7:10 mark. But this time, Kyrie does a great job of closing out to Bogdanovic, who finds Trae in the corner for his first spot-up jumper of the game.
Def. (3:03-2:59) Strong close out leads to turnover
Def. (2:30-2:22) Miscommunication on the pick and roll when defending as the screener
Hunter gets into position to ice Kyrie on the pick and roll, but Trae—who lacks experience defending the screener—is on the wrong side of the screen. Kyrie gets a free drive to the lane.
Off. (00:15.6-00:08.1) Manipulates the defense to find an open corner shooter
Kyrie is ready to bump down to defend Collins at the rim. Trae jumps in the air to make a pass. This forces Kyrie to stay in the lane for an extra second in case Trae throws the lob. Instead, Trae finds Hunter in the corner for a 3.