“If I was 6’8,” I feel like I would be the best player to ever play this game.” Trae Young has left the internet buzzing with this bold claim. While he is still one of the best players in the league, the 6’1” guard believes his lack of height is what has stopped him from entering the GOAT conversation. But what about his other physical attributes?

Well, Trae is not blessed with a huge frame in comparison to some of the bigger superstars in the league like LeBron James or Kevin Durant. Apart from the height disadvantage, he also has a much smaller 6’3” wingspan. For context, the average wingspan for point guards in the league is over three inches bigger and the average wingspan for a player is a whopping 6’10”. No wonder Young relies heavily on his deep-range shots and loves shooting high-arcing floaters to avoid the tall defenders.

His smaller wingspan also limits his abilities on the defensive end. Meanwhile, players like Victor Wembanyama, blessed with an eight-foot wingspan, have no problem covering the perimeter. In an interview two years ago, Hawks general manager Landry Fields even revealed that the team urged Young to improve his defense on multiple occasions. Young is an elite scorer who averaged 25.7 points last season and also a genius playmaker who can make his teammates better. However, his offensive skills are sometimes overshadowed by his defensive shortcomings. But with a below-league-average height and wing span, there is not much he can do to stop bigger opponents from scoring.

Even when Young combines his two physical attributes, he only has a standing reach of 7 feet 11.5 inches. And that might not work against Centers like Wembanyama and Joel Embiid who stand above seven feet without extending their arms. But Trae has found ways to bypass this weakness as he can get past taller defenders with his crafty ball-handling skills and pull up from anywhere on the court.

“Continuing to get better” – Trae Young strives to improve & work on his physical shortcomings

Being smaller than most of his opponents his entire life, Trae is well aware of his strengths and weaknesses. And even when he was about to get drafted into the league six years ago, he knew very well what he needed to improve to become a superstar in the NBA, “Obviously, one thing that I am continuing to get better as of today is my body, just get my body right. Being able to take bumps and bruises for 82 games.”

Moreover, he even claimed to have gained ten pounds of muscle in preparation for the draft and during the draft combine. He said he measured at a solid 177.8 lbs. Surprisingly enough, the point guard has not been able to maintain that number as his current weight has dropped to 164 lbs, which makes him quicker on offense but much easier to bully on the defensive end. But despite being undersized, Young has always taken pride in his defense and even said during his draft combine interview, “Something that I am super excited about is being able to show that I can play defense from day one.”

Trae’s height and wingspan do not allow him to be a shot blocker. But he makes up for it with his quick hands and IQ as he averaged 1.3 steals this past season. Yes, Trae admitted to feeling like he plays in a “big man’s game”. But he too has become a big superstar in this league, not by his height but by his heart.

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