Nets must contain Hawks' Trae Young, 'the head of the snake'

If there is another "poster child" besides James Harden for the new NBA rules prohibiting players from drawing fouls with non-basketball moves, it’s Atlanta’s Trae Young. Those two were set to square off Wednesday night at Barclays Center when the 4-3 Hawks face the 4-3 Nets with both teams trying to build some early-season momentum.

While Harden barely got to the foul line through the first five games, he gained some traction with the officials in the next two when he enjoyed his best games of the young season. Young is off to a solid start as well, but his production has fallen off slightly from last season’s 25.3 scoring average to 22.9 this season. His average free-throw attempts are down from 8.7 per game to 5.3.

Even so, the Nets figured to have their hands full with Young, who averaged 26.3 points in three games against them last season. "Incredible player," Nets coach Steve Nash said of Young. "He can score at three levels. He’s a creative scorer and has incredible vision as well. He is kind of able to solve as many problems as you could ask for from a player of his size."

The 6-1 point guard carried the Hawks all the way to the Eastern Conference finals before they lost to the eventual NBA champion Bucks in six games. Young averaged 28.8 points in the playoffs as the Hawks knocked out the Knicks and the top-seeded 76ers in the first two rounds.

"It’s all still there," Nash said of the ability Young showed at playoff time. "He is the head of the snake and the leader of that team with a lot of offensive talent. There’s a part of him feeling his way through and managing that group and trying to figure out who they are and how they are going to play and how they are going to take the next step.

"I think it is largely the same, but if he has not had as explosive a start it is not because he couldn’t have had that start. I think he is trying to figure out the best way for their team to play, what is the best way to facilitate for other guys, and that is part of the process of the growth of their team."

The Hawks also are strong up front with power forward John Collins (15.4 points, 9.7 rebounds) and center Clint Capela (9.9 points, 10.7 rebounds) and they can bring offense off the bench with Cam Reddish (16.0 points).

"They’ve got a lot of guys who can score," Nash said. "They’ve got two really good rollers, one big roller [Capela], one dynamic roller [Collins]. They’ve got some big wings that can shoot and offensive rebound and run the floor. Obviously, they’ve got guards who can shoot and play-make.

"They’re a really good team. They didn’t make the conference finals as a fluke. They’re very good and very talented."

Nets center Blake Griffin said he has known Young since he attended one of Griffin’s basketball camps in 2011. "That was the first time I really saw him play," Griffin said. "It’s been awesome to watch his growth and how good he has become."

At the same time, Griffin likes the Hawks’ supporting cast around Young. Besides Collins and Capela, he noted the firepower provided by Kevin Huerter and veterans Lou Williams and Danilo Gallinari.

"They have a lot of guys who can get you 20," Griffin said. "For us, it’s just making sure we’re sitting down and talking defensively. Our defense has gotten better the more we talk. The better our communication has been, we eliminate some of those little switching mistakes that can come back to bite you."

By Greg Logan

Gregory.Logan@newsday.comGregLogan1

Greg Logan has worked for Newsday since 1982 covering a wide array of sports and events, currently including the Brooklyn Nets beat.