3. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Last season, Trae Young averaged around 26 points, three rebounds, and 10 assists per game on 57.3% true shooting. It was a productive season for the young point guard, but he was heavily criticized for having a weak season. That may seem like a wild statement when you look at his box score numbers, but it’s not a hot take to say he had an underwhelming season offensively.
His scoring efficiency, three-point percentage, and assist rate were all the lowest they’ve been since his rookie season. They weren’t all bad, but Young’s offensive output was not as impressive as in 2021 when he ranked second in the league in offensive estimated plus-minus.
While his performance last season was a bit disappointing, he was still incredible as a passer, ranking fourth in assist rate with a mark of 42.5%. His advanced playmaking metrics were even better, though, as he ranked fifth in passer rating and first in box creation. He also ranked first in BBall Index’s playmaking talent metric, so you could argue he was the best playmaker in the league last season.
You could also argue he’s been the best regular-season playmaker in the NBA over the last three seasons, as he has the three best seasons by box creation since 2020. He also has three of the five best seasons by BBall Index’s playmaking talent metric during this time.
You might be wondering, if Trae Young’s playmaking numbers are this good, why isn’t he higher on this list? The reason he is just third on the list is because of his playoff performance and his lack of portability.
His career assist rate in the regular season is 44.1%, which is incredible. However, that goes down to 40.6% in the playoffs. One reason why he isn’t as productive as a passer in the playoffs is that his effectiveness as a scorer goes down a lot after the regular season.
His scoring efficiency falls off a lot in the postseason, and this makes sense because he is a small guard who carries a huge offensive load. Defenses get a lot better in the playoffs, so it’s not surprising that he struggles to be an efficient scorer in the playoffs.
Another concern for Young is his lack of portability. Like Doncic, he is extremely ball-dominant and almost never plays without the basketball in his hands. This is a bigger issue for Young, though, because he is smaller than your average guard, so his inability to play off-ball would hurt him even more if he played for a different team.