Trae Young Consolidates his ROTY Credentials Against Cleveland

Atlanta Hawks rookie point guard Trae Young produced a standout performance against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday.

Trae Young finished the game with 35 points and 11 assists. He made six three pointers with 13-of-23 shooting from the field in the game which Atlanta won 133 – 111.

Trae Young, the No. 5 pick, certainly outperformed his counterpart, Collin Sexton, the No. 8 pick. The Cleveland Cavaliers rookie point guard finished the game with 4 points on 2-of-11 shooting.

The result underlines a tough start to the season for Cleveland, who still haven’t won in three games. The Atlanta Hawks improved their record to 1 – 2 with the win.

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Young looks set to continue his prolific college form in the NBA. In his one season at Oklahoma, he lead the nation in points (27.4) and assists (8.7) per game.

He was instrumental in this result, coming into his own in the second quarter. He helped the Hawks to a four point halftime lead after they were down by double digits.

Young is establishing himself as a big performer, having got 20 points and 9 assists against the Memphis Grizzlies last Friday.

Read: 76ers Guard Markelle Fultz’s Shooting Woes May Be Over

Of all the highly rated rookies in this years’ NBA, Young is in the best position to excel. In Atlanta, there is no pressure to compete with the big boys. As a result, he can focus purely on his development. More importantly, he can play often, a luxury not afforded to some of the other rookies.

In Cleveland, Collin Sexton has Kevin Love, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson ahead of him. Deandre Ayton has Devin Booker ahead of him at the Pheonix Suns. Even Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks has Dirk Nowitzki and DeAndre Jordan to compete with.

Young will have another chance to impress on Wednesday when the Hawks host the Dallas Mavericks.