2. Average 6+ Assists Per Game

Young led college basketball in assists last season, averaging 8.7 in 35.4 minutes per game. He is one of the most advanced passers to enter the league in recent years, joining the likes of Ben Simmons, Lonzo Ball, and Luka Doncic. Given the Hawks’ system, that should be on full display next season.

The Hawks have the personnel to run countless pick-and-rolls, an area where Young excels. He combines elite vision with the ability to throw a variety of high-difficulty passes. Whether it be rocketing cross-court dimes with his off-hand or threading the needle to a diving big, Young is capable of breaking out just about any pass.

He also thrives in transition, pushing the ball up court and rewarding bigs who run the floor. With John Collins and Omari Spellman projected to see substantial minutes, those situations will be exceedingly common.

It will be important for the Hawks to diversify Young’s offensive game, allowing him to spend time off the ball and decreasing his usage from where it was at Oklahoma. With that said, he’ll still be leaned on heavily as the crux of Lloyd Pierce’s newly installed offense. The ball will be in his hands a lot, which will naturally lead to assists.

Last season, Simmons (8.2) and Ball (7.2) led all rookies in assists per game. It’s unreasonable to pin those kinds of expectations on Young, and that’s without mentioning the difference in play style. But Young should be in a position to lead all rookies in assists this year, and 6 seems like a fair benchmark to set.