re: Who is the most over rated superstar in the NBA?

quote:

---

Young isn’t just a poor defender, he’s a historically awful one.

Of the 508 players who have graced the hardwood this season, Young ranks dead last with a minus-3.0 defensive DRIP, our catch-all defensive metric.

---

quote:

---

Opponents hitting their season-high in scoring against the Hawks had become a startlingly common trend. There are 29 teams in the NBA outside of Atlanta. Five of them, the Bulls (136), Pacers (157), Mavericks (148), Nuggets (142) and Spurs (135) hit their season-high against Atlanta. The Pacers alone reached 150 points against the Hawks on three separate occasions. Atlanta allowed 135 or more points 11 different times. The Timberwolves didn't do that once all year.

That's not all Trae Young's fault... but it would be hard to keep ignoring what a seismic negative impact he has on Atlanta's defense. Atlanta allowed 119.1 points per 100 possessions with Young on the floor this season, just half a point off of the NBA record for worst defensive efficiency over a full season. Young has played six NBA seasons and the Hawks have been better on defense without him in each of them. In the first four, Atlanta's defense produced its best defensive rating during any player's absences with Young sitting. The trend line here is pretty clear. When Young rests, the Hawks are generally pretty good on defense. When he plays, they're bad.

That's more or less what happened when Young missed 23 games near the end of the season. The Hawks went 12-11 with the 18th-best defensive rating in the NBA. Not great. Not terrible. On the year, the Hawks were 14-14 without Young and 22-33 with him (including Wednesday's season-ending Play-In game). Young has generally made up for those defensive shortcomings by leading a very good offense. The Hawks ranked 12th this year. Not exactly a worthwhile trade for arguably the worst defender in the NBA.

---