Trae Young spoke to Paul George on his 'Podcast P' show about the comparisons to Stephen Curry he faced when he first entered college basketball. Young noted that he never saw all the similarities and took from several other players. He also shouted out Curry for being a mentor and helping him out whenever possible.
"That (pressure) really all started in college. We played in the Phil Knight tournament had a really good showing and then we were on ESPN every day. I swear that's all they were pushing - 'The next Steph Curry'. I never paid too much attention to it. I never was like 'Yeah, I'm about to be the next Steph'."
"I always felt like I took a little bit from everybody's game. My favorite player was Steve Nash growing up. I'd take pieces from a lot of players. That's why I feel like me and Steph, we have some similarities but there are some things about our games that are different..."
"He [Curry] said something when I was in college too, that just made it even more (real). Middle of the Big 12, we're like top five in the country, and he had said something like 'He's so electrifying every time you watch him'..."
"For sure, I remember the first time I was on the trade block and, right before a play-in game. He texted me, telling me to stay focused. He'll drop some knowledge and give me some advice. He's always been helpful.
It's good to hear that Young never let the comparisons get to his head, nor did it unnerve him and put too much pressure on him. He pointed out that the comparisons mostly came from the media, which is unsurprising, but Young stayed true to his game, and it has paid off dividends for him.
What Is The Future For Trae Young?
Trae Young is in an odd place in his career right now. After a few great years with the Hawks , their relationship seems to have plateaued. The days of Young singlehandedly leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals are over, and they gave up on his partnership with Dejounte Murray, trading the latter to the Pelicans.
Young is coming off a decent season last year where he averaged 25.7 points, 10.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. He got selected to play his third All-Star game. But the Hawks missed the playoffs after losing to the Bulls in the play-in tournament. Their disappointing result paid off, as they were awarded the first overall pick of the 2024 draft.
They selected Zaccharie Risacher with the first overall pick. While there are some doubts about him, the Hawks will hope that his pairing with Trae Young will help him achieve his full potential.
If Risacher is able to become the player the Hawks hope they can be, they will boast a hell of a one-two punch in Young and Risacher. They then have to build a good team around them if they want to actually contend for an NBA championship in the years to come.
Related: Trae Young Disagrees With Paul George That LeBron James Won Game For Team USA Against Serbia
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