NBA: 11 Players and teams that have gotten off to frighteningly bad starts

Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are still in a phase where they’re trying to figure out if the duo of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray is going to work long-term for the franchise. While they had their struggles last season, they also had their bright moments on the floor together. However, Trae Young’s start to the season has been anything but ideal.

The counting stats aren’t what’s concerning for Young, though those are still down this season compared to the first five years of his career. It’s the efficiency numbers that should be giving out red flags. Through the first four games of the season, Young is shooting just 31 percent from the field and 24 percent from 3-point range.

What makes it all more concerning is the fact that he also saw a downtick in offensive efficiency last season. The trend that has been developing for Young over the past two seasons hasn’t been great.

It’s hard to predict how things end up developing for the Hawks over the next few weeks, but Young’s efficiency numbers are certainly something to keep an eye on. If the Hawks are going to exit mediocrity in the Eastern Conference, they need Young to snap out of this funk quickly.