Steve Nash believes that while the point guard art of making their teammates better is getting lost, Trae Young is still its torchbearer.
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Trae Young is probably the best pure point guard in the league today. This is absolutely mental, because he’s also the scoring machine powering the Hawks offense with timely buckets.
Trae is an offensive hub, the comparisons for whom are all MVP, Hall of Fame players. And that absolutely fits the bill for the 22-year-old Atlanta Hawks PG. He did, after all, become the only person in NCAA history to lead the nation both in scoring and in assists as a freshman.
Averaging over 26 points per game and 9 assists per game for the 3rd straight season, Trae is keeping a rather chaotic Hawks team in the hunt for a play-in berth despite a topsy-turvy first half of the year.
Steve Nash praises Trae Young for preserving the continually dulling art of making teammates better
One player who Trae Young often got compared in his young years was Stephen Curry. The reasons for this comparison were obvious – Trae loves to take and make deep 3-pointers. His range makes defenses overplay him and opens up more offensive opportunities.
However, after watching actual game tape instead of looking at Sportscenter highlights, it became very apparent that Trae’s true best talent is in facilitating for his teammates. This is an instinct that he’s honed through long hours in the gym and in the film room.
This talent of Trae’s also lent him comparisons to another 2-time MVP point guard – one Steve Nash. And this was a comparison that Trae welcomed a lot more, admitting that the former Suns superstar was a huge influence.
“I’m competing with Allen Iverson. I’m competing with Steve Nash, Chris Paul…my mindset is not Luka.”@TheTraeYoung‘s not focused on the draft day comparisons 🥶 💯 #TheShop pic.twitter.com/ZlVVQlNdgb
— UNINTERRUPTED (@uninterrupted) August 2, 2021
Steve Nash paid the compliment back during an appearance on the Road Trippin podcast. Talking about the dying art of making teammates better, the Nets’ head coach remarked that Trae Young is one of the few players in the league with the ability to make his teammates better:
“Trae (Young) is one of the few that have a real, natural ability to see, and he can deliver. But he’s grown up in an era where it’s about scoring. So he’s kinda on the fence there, but it’s exciting to see a player like that.”