If you’ve ever stood near an NBA court during warmups, the first thing you notice about Trae Young isn't his jump shot. It’s that he looks like a regular guy who accidentally wandered into a land of giants. In a league where "positionless" basketball has turned everyone into a 6'9" wing with a 7-foot wingspan, the Atlanta Hawks superstar remains one of the most fascinating statistical outliers in professional sports history.
Let's get the raw data out of the way immediately. According to the official NBA measurements, Trae Young height and weight sit at 6'1" and 164 pounds.
But anyone who follows the league knows those numbers have been a point of contention since he was lighting up the scoreboard at Oklahoma. When he first entered the draft process, scouts were obsessed. They weren't obsessed with his passing vision or his deep range—they were obsessed with whether he was actually 6 feet tall without shoes. It sounds trivial, but in the NBA, an inch is the difference between being a defensive liability and being a "pest."
He’s small. Really small.
Honestly, seeing him stand next to someone like Joel Embiid is almost comical. It’s David and Goliath, but David has a floater that hits the bottom of the net every single time.
The Measurement Controversy and the "Official" Shift
For years, NBA heights were basically suggestions. Players would add two inches to look more imposing, and teams would go along with it because a 6'10" power forward sounds a lot better than a 6'8" one on a trade block. However, in 2019, the NBA cracked down. They mandated that teams conduct official "barefoot" measurements.
Before the crackdown, Trae was often listed at 6'2". Afterward? He settled at that 6'1" mark.
But even that feels generous to some scouts. If you look at the 2018 NBA Combine data, Young measured 6'0.5" without shoes. That half-inch might not matter to you or me at a grocery store, but on a basketball court, it changes your entire release point. It changes how you have to navigate a screen set by a 280-pound center.
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Then there's the weight. At 164 pounds, Trae is consistently one of the lightest players in the league. For context, the average NBA player weighs about 215 pounds. You’re talking about a 50-pound deficit against the "average" guy guarding him.
Why Weight Matters More Than Height for Ice Trae
Think about the physics of a drive to the hoop. When Trae Young enters the paint, he isn't just fighting for space; he’s trying to survive a collision. Most players his height—think Chris Paul or Kyle Lowry—are built like fire hydrants. They have low centers of gravity and thick lower bodies that allow them to "bump" defenders and create space.
Trae doesn't have that. He’s lean.
He uses a different toolkit. Because he lacks the bulk to power through people, he has perfected the "stop-and-start" game. He uses his 164-pound frame to be nimble, darting through gaps that wouldn't exist for a larger player. If he were 200 pounds, he might lose that twitchy acceleration that makes his crossover so lethal.
The Science of the "Small" Superstar
There is a psychological element to Trae Young height and weight that often gets ignored by the talking heads on ESPN. Being the smallest guy on the court since you were six years old breeds a specific kind of arrogance. You have to be "annoying" to survive.
- The Floater: Because he’s 6'1", he can't wait until he's at the rim to shoot. He developed one of the most efficient floaters in the history of the game. He releases it high and early, usually before the shot-blocker can even leaves the floor.
- The Foul Drawing: Trae is a master of the "stop-short." He gets a defender on his hip, feels the contact, and goes up. Because he weighs so little, the contact looks—and feels—more impactful to the referees.
- The Vision: Being shorter actually changes how he sees the floor. He isn't looking over the defense like LeBron James. He's looking through it. He sees passing lanes at chest level, which is why his bounce passes are often more effective than his overhead lobs.
It’s basically a game of leverage. He knows he can’t win a wrestling match, so he turns every possession into a track meet or a game of tag.
Comparing Trae to the All-Time Small Guards
To really understand where Trae fits, you have to look at the lineage of sub-6'3" stars.
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Stephen Curry is often the comparison, but Steph is actually a lot bigger. Curry is roughly 6'2" or 6'3" and weighs nearly 190 pounds now after years of strength training. Steph is solid. Trae is wiry.
A better comparison for the frame might be someone like Allen Iverson. "The Answer" was famously listed at 6'0" but was widely believed to be closer to 5'10" or 5'11". Iverson played at about 165 pounds, almost identical to Trae. The difference? Iverson played with a reckless abandon for his physical safety, throwing his body into the teeth of the defense. Trae is more calculated. He uses his lack of size to hide behind screens, then uses that 6'1" frame to launch 30-footers that force the defense to overextend.
The Durability Question
One of the biggest knocks on "small" players is that they break down. The 82-game grind is brutal. When you're 164 pounds, every screen you hit feels like a car crash.
Surprisingly, Trae has been remarkably durable.
He doesn't miss huge chunks of time with "wear and tear" injuries the way you’d expect. This is likely due to his playstyle. He avoids the "big" collisions. He’s a master of the "pro-hop" and the step-back, which keeps him out of the direct line of fire. He isn't Russell Westbrook trying to dunk on your head; he’s a wizard trying to disappear before you can touch him.
How the Hawks Compensate for the Size
You can't talk about Trae's dimensions without talking about team construction. Because Trae is 6'1" and light, the Hawks have to surround him with "length."
In the NBA, "length" is the antidote to "small."
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The Hawks typically prioritize tall, switchable defenders at the wing positions (think Jalen Johnson or De'Andre Hunter) and a vertical threat at center. This allows Trae to be the "free safety" on defense, hiding on the weakest offensive player while the bigger guys handle the heavy lifting. If the Hawks ever put another small guard next to him—as they did with Dejounte Murray—the math gets complicated. Even though Murray has a massive wingspan, having two guys who aren't physical bruisers can create a "size deficit" that teams like the Celtics or Nuggets exploit.
Does it Actually Matter in 2026?
We are currently in an era of basketball where skill is finally outweighing raw physical attributes. Ten years ago, Trae might have been a "spark plug" off the bench because coaches were terrified of his height. Today, his gravity as a shooter and his elite passing (averaging double-digit assists is no joke) make him a franchise cornerstone.
The conversation around Trae Young height and weight usually says more about our biases than his game. We want stars to look like gods. We want them to be 6'6" with 40-inch verticals.
Trae looks like the guy at the YMCA who hits everything and talks way too much trash.
But that's the point. His success is a testament to the fact that "NBA size" is a shifting definition. If you can shoot from the logo and pass like a magician, the fact that you're 164 pounds becomes a footnote rather than a flaw.
Actionable Takeaways for Evaluating Small Guards
If you’re analyzing Trae Young or looking at the "next" Trae Young in the draft, stop looking at the height chart. Instead, look at these three metrics:
- Wingspan-to-Height Ratio: Trae’s wingspan is roughly 6'3". It’s not huge, but it’s enough to disrupt passing lanes. A small guard with a short wingspan is a "no-go," but a small guard with long arms can survive.
- Center of Gravity: Watch how a player handles contact. Do they fly off-balance, or do they stay low? Trae’s ability to stay low to the ground while dribbling is what allows him to navigate the "land of the giants."
- Release Speed: For a player of Trae’s height, his release is lightning-fast. If you're 6'1", you cannot have a "set shot." You have to be able to get the ball off before the 6'9" defender can close the gap.
Ultimately, Trae Young is the definitive proof that being an "undersized" player isn't a death sentence in the modern NBA—it's just a different way to play the game. He’s not going to grow two inches, and he’s probably never going to weigh 200 pounds. And honestly? He doesn't need to. He’s already broken the mold.
The next time you see a highlight of him nutmegging a defender or hitting a game-winner in Madison Square Garden, don't wonder how tall he is. Just realize that for Trae, the court is exactly the size he needs it to be.
Final Practical Insight
For youth players or scouts looking at "undersized" talents, the lesson of Trae Young is about mastering the floater and manipulating the pick-and-roll. If you are under 6'2", your value isn't in your vertical leap—it's in your ability to make the defense second-guess their positioning. Study Trae's footwork on his step-backs; that's where he creates the "fake" height he needs to get his shot over taller defenders. Focus on lateral quickness and core strength rather than just "bulking up," as maintaining that 164-pound agility is more important than adding 10 pounds of muscle that slows your first step.