Thunderous Intentions
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NBA Draft: The enigma Trae Young – deciphering guard’s superstar potential

By Tamberlyn Richardson

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners drives to the basket against Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the second half during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament held at PPG Paints Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft, Trae Young
Oklahoma’s Trae Young, right, struggles to drive by Oklahoma State’s Matt Freeman during the second half of a Big 12 Tournament first-round game at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., on Wednesday, March 7, 2018. OSU advanced, 71-60. (Rich Sugg/Kansas City Star/TNS via Getty Images) /

NBA Draft Prospect Current rankings:

ESPN/DraftExpress: 6th

NBA DraftNet: 8th

CBS Sports: 7th

Sports Illustrated: 8th

Bleacher Report: 6th

Basketball Insiders: 8th

The Ringer Kevin O’Connor: 9th

Honors and awards:

More from Thunderous Intentions

Consensus first-team All-American (2018)

  • Wayman Tisdale Award (2018)
  • First-team All-Big 12 (2018)

    • Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2018)

  • NCAA Division I scoring leader (2018)
  • NCAA Division I assists leader (2018)
  • Naismith Award Semifinalists (2018)
  • USBWA Freshman of the Year (2018)
  • Wooden Award – Finalists (2018)
  • McDonald’s All-American (2017)
  • Jordan Brand Classic (2017)

    • Pro Comparison:

    The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor provides a wide range of guards to compare Young with. Of these (Mike Bibby, Trey Burke, Aaron Brooks) aren’t necessarily of the caliber most of Young’s current fans would be overly excited about.

    The Mike Bibby reference is arguably the best of the lot. For those hoping he turns into another Steph Curry, again what Young does to get stronger and his efforts to improve defensively will define his ceiling.

    Fit:

    Like all the NBA Draft lottery picks Trae Young won’t be a player Sam Presti has access to unless he blows up the Thunder. Despite being extremely familiar with Young’s upside, Presti won’t make that move.

    Next: Wendell Carter Jr. could be next Nikola Jokic

    If Young ends up being available for the Orlando Magic however, he’s a risk worth taking given they’ve been searching for a starting point guard for what seems an eternity.

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