In sports, teams have a collective mission, whether they are competing for a championship or starting over.
No matter how possible, that mission is to acquire a true superstar.
In basketball, where only five players are on the court at a time per team, superstars have an outsized influence in winning championships.
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However, the team ended up kissing a lot of frogs in the process of identifying the player. Some of these Frogs turned out well and were stars in their own right, but never quite broke through the barriers to becoming princes or kings of basketball.
Trae Young and the Hawks are now reportedly looking for a trade destination for the four-time All-Star, a stark reminder that the NBA’s talent, health, contract status and roster construction is fragile. Young helped the Hawks reach the 2021 Eastern Conference Finals, and the future looks bright. Now it seems it’s time for a change.
With that in mind, let’s explore Young and a pair of talented players who may struggle to become superstars, and what changes they need to make to change the narrative.
The Hawks and Trae Young appear ready to part ways. (Photo by Mark Blinky/Getty Images)
(Mark Blinky via Getty Images)
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks
Well, this is a guy who can stretch the floor, score a lot and is a truly elite playmaker. Of course, Young is a superstar and through him you can take control and win championships, right?
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Well, this is tricky.
Young could shoot, and defenses adjusted to his abilities, but he was never efficient enough to warrant taking too many long-range shots (career 35.1 percent from three), and he wasn’t a good enough off-ball shooter to serve as decoy.
Young is a heliocentric player in many ways. At 6-foot-1, he can’t always read the defense, and the defense is so fragile that the Hawks must constantly make adjustments to hide him.
But well, surely that’s not enough to stop him from entering the superstar category, right?
Yes and no.
When Young is on the floor and he has the perfect balance of shooting, playmaking and timely decision-making, he’s close.
However, with his size, he had to overcome a lot of obstacles. Unlike similarly tall and stronger point guard Jalen Brunson, Young is smaller and can bounce off defenders more easily. While this gets him to the free throw line, it doesn’t allow him to get to the mid-range layup when needed.
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At his core, Young is a skilled point guard, but he lacks physical tools and must constantly think of ways out of difficult situations rather than having the ability to overcome them.
That said, the fact that Young isn’t your typical off-ball shooter doesn’t help matters either. He’s at his best with the ball in his hands – but has flaws. In order to allow others to shine (which is necessary), Young does have to relinquish some responsibilities and embrace areas of his game that he is not inherently good at.
The good news is that Young should be able to correct his tendencies without having to go through years of adjustments.
If he’s traded from Atlanta to a team that understands how to tap into his off-ball potential (which currently exists), there’s a good chance we’ll see a player one step closer to becoming a true superstar.
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Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
In the NBA world, DeMar DeRozan has never been considered a franchise superstar. He takes too many shots and is inefficient, he squeezes the shot clock, is a good but not great playmaker, and he generally lacks the off-ball ability to fit his style of play into the larger structure of an NBA offense.
From this perspective, why should Banchero’s view be different from DeRozan’s?
Banchero’s career shooting percentage is 44.6%. If this was his three-point shooting percentage, it would be terrible, but this is his overall efficiency.
His 49.2 percent two-point conversion rate is well below what a 6-foot-10, 250-pound big man with quickness, athleticism and hands should be able to achieve.
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27 percent of his shot attempts came from within the arc between 10 feet and the three-point line. He doesn’t use his ability off the ball to break down defenses, and frankly, opposing defenses have no problem with Banchero’s propensity for mid-range shots because they know his efficiency — or lack thereof — won’t punish them.
So what can Banchero do to turn things around?
In addition to adding more reliable three-point shooting (career 31.4%), Banchero will also need to significantly increase his volume at the rim. Only 22.9 percent of his shots came from within three feet, which seems a bit problematic when you’re good at twisting and turning your body to make dribbling moves.
If Banchero leans into a more calculated shooting diet, his entire career could change.
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The presence of a reliable three-point shot will allow Banchero to move off the ball more easily and keep the defense moving by dragging defenders with them. This opens up offensive lanes for teammates and greatly improves the offense by giving players more layers to exploit.
(Finally, all things considered, becoming a better rebounder wouldn’t hurt him either. With his size, athleticism, and raw power, he shouldn’t be averaging double figures in his fourth season.)
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans
We don’t have to delve too deeply into Williamson, as Banchero’s case lays the foundation for many of the weaknesses we see in quality players who aren’t superstars.
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Williamson is a worse 3-point shooter than Banchero and is a decent but not great playmaker.
So let’s focus on this element.
If a player is a high-level scorer, regularly draws double teams, and is a key figure in scouting reports, having the ability to score as a pass is critical.
Williamson’s inability to be a floor-spacing player hurts him a lot in terms of running the offense. Defenses know full well that he’s not a threat from 15 feet away, so they give him shots with the understanding that they have to let him penetrate rather than shoot.
94.1 percent of Williamson’s career field goal attempts have come within 10 feet of the basket. Teams are well aware of this, which means no one really pays attention to any action Williamson is involved in — unless said action is near the basket. If he passes the ball 20 feet away from the basket, expect a cut and an upcoming pass attempt.
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Like Banchero, Williamson doesn’t wear down defenses, making him both predictable and easy to plan for given the amount of times he holds the ball and actually takes the shot.
Imagine Williamson as the primary instigator of the Finals series, having made every possible adjustment.
Is he consistently able to get inside and convert at 70%? Probably not.
After breaking the first line of defense, is he always able to make the right pass? Then again, probably not.
Add to that the fact that his defense is only occasionally good and his rebounding is historically poor, and what do you have left?
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A star, sure, but who can lead you to the Promised Land? Very questionable. If anything, Williamson is interesting as a closer to a true playmaking superstar, which is more or less the only environment in which he makes sense.
So what does this all mean?
While there isn’t a straight answer to what it takes to become a championship superstar, we can make some educated guesses based on the players we cover.
The general lack of floor space is a huge problem. This sounds simple, but it’s not. It’s very important that star players get attention everywhere they go on the court, unless they are so ridiculously overwhelming in every other aspect of their game (see: Antetokounmpo, Giannis Antetokounmpo).
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Being a good playmaker is a problem unless your primary skill (like scoring) is so good from both a volume and efficiency standpoint that it’s simply not necessary, and you have multiple other strengths in your game, like rebounding and being able to defend at a high level (see: Tatum, Jayson).
All of the above should also leave multiple teams with long-term questions about the type of player Duke star Cameron Boozer will become.
The rookie forward, who is projected to be a top-three pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, is putting up explosive numbers every game, averaging 23 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, but will his playmaking ability translate into a major superstar in the NBA?
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What about his defense? Is that enough to offset average 3-point efficiency, so-so passing instincts and good (but not great) rebounding at the NBA level?
Boozer is a solid 6-foot-9, 250 player who will undoubtedly be a rock-solid NBA player, but his archetype is reminiscent of Banchero and, to some extent, Williamson.
Can he add layers to his game and become a player you can get close to and ultimately win a championship with? Time will tell, but he has to break the mold we’ve seen before.
All of this highlights how difficult it is to find a true franchise player, and when you have a player in his prime, you probably shouldn’t let him go.