NBA Apparel: Trae Young and adidas

The Atlanta Hawks traded the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Trae Young and a future first round selection. Young was arguably the most well known name going into the draft, and continues to be a high profile rookie today.

Currently, Young is an adidas-sponsored athlete. If Young’s stats can match his hype, it is likely that adidas looks into making him his own shoe.

So when it comes to sneakers, what does Trae Young have going for him?

Aside from Young’s pre-draft popularity, the best thing Young has going for him on the sneaker front is his signing with adidas. When adidas decided not to continue their uniform contract with the NBA, they stated one of the reasons why was to put more money into signature kicks. adidas has also been known to make signature sneakers for high profile upcoming point guards (Derrick Rose, Damian Lillard, and John Wall).

The second thing Young has going for him is a team that needs him to succeed long-term. Young should have the ability to get minutes and prove his stat line with the Hawks. Atlanta needs solid outside scoring, and Young is groomed to bring that. If he can live up to his Stephen Curry comparisons and help the Hawks make the playoffs in the next few years, the chance he gets his own shoe skyrockets.

But on the other hand...

The majority of players in the NBA never get their own signature sneaker; a lot of rookies don’t even live up to their hype. Young is small, didn’t have the best Summer League debut, and needs to work on his defense. He is also entering a team that needs more than just him to make the playoffs.

It will be interesting to see what the future holds but, if all goes according to plan with Young in Atlanta, a signature shoe may be in the cards in the future.