Wednesday night’s matchup between the Atlanta Hawks and the Charlotte Hornets brings a battle of two All-Star point guards who have been held back by their franchises in one way or another. The Hawks’ issues can at least be partially blamed on injuries — Jalen Johnson appeared to be a breakout candidate this season before suffering a season-ending shoulder injury — and while Charlotte has certainly gotten unlucky, it’s also an incompetent franchise.
For Atlanta, Trae Young has sought to prove that he can lift his team regardless of its issues, and despite the injuries, the Hawks are still comfortably in the East’s Play-In Tournament picture. The seventh-year guard is averaging 23.8 points and a league-leading 11.5 assists per game this season, although he’s having his least efficient shooting season since his rookie campaign.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, Atlanta is a nine-point favorite and the total is set for 242. Below, I’ve highlighted my favorite prop bets centered around Ice Trae.
Best Trae Young Prop Bets on DraftKings Sportsbook
Trae Young O11.5 Assists (+100)
I already wrote earlier that first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher was a good value option against this Hornets defense, and given that 67 of his 254 made field goals this season have been assisted by Young, a good performance from Risacher requires Young to reach his assists total. He’s a good bet to do so; since February 1, Young has averaged 11.9 assists per contest and has recorded 12 or more assists 10 times in 16 games, including three of his last four. He didn’t play in Monday’s win over the Philadelphia 76ers, but he’s listed as probable for tonight’s contest, so he should get his normal load.
Meanwhile, although the Hornets have had a respectable defense on a season-long basis, they’ve really struggled since the All-Star break, a stretch that included a nine-game losing streak. Over that span, Charlotte has had the league’s 11th-worst defensive rating, giving up the 12th-most points, third-most rebounds, and, critically, the third-most assists. The Hornets, especially with LaMelo Ball healthy, are good enough to keep the game competitive, which should keep Young in the game and racking up assists to his supporting cast.
Trae Young First Three Point Field Goal Attempt Result – Made (+135)
Although Young has made only 32.5% of his three-point attempts this season, his lowest accuracy since his rookie season, the Hornets have allowed the second-most above-the-break threes per game this season, and those are Young’s preferred tries; he’s converted 34.7% of his first-quarter tries from above the break this season. Since the All-Star break, Charlotte has allowed opponents to hit at the ninth-highest clip from beyond the three-point line. Though it ranks seventh in contested threes per game, Young has converted at fairly similar rates regardless of how far away the nearest defender is, so he still has a reasonable chance of making his first three-point attempt regardless of how good a contest the Hornets get on it. If that defender is Ball, it’ll be even better news; opponents are 3.7 percentage points better from beyond the arc when the 2021 lottery pick guards them.
