Trae Young remains the enigma of the NBA Draft in terms of whether he’ll be the league’s next superstar or if his size will limit his pro capacity.
Arguably the NBA Draft prospect best known by OKC Thunder fans is Trae Young who is a native of Norman Oklahoma and played his college ball at Oklahoma University.
Young lit up the NCAA to start the season drawing comparison’s to Stephen Curry. The Sooner’s point guard was hitting shots from well beyond the arc. And, he wasn’t discerning utilizing pull ups, off the dribble cross overs with catch and shoot opportunities all with equal aplomb.
This outburst caused a flurry of excitement over his potential. Young cooled off in the later stages of the College season and this caused analysts and fans alike to revisit the Curry comparison. Perhaps the funniest is Kevin O’Connor of the Ringer who says depending on your take of Young he projects to be either Steph or Seth Curry. Obviously that’s a big disparity.
Similarly, the draft boards have him listed as high as sixth and as low as ninth. Regardless of his ceiling, no one is willing to not bet on the youngster translating his game at the pro level. Hence he’ll likely hear his name called in the top eight picks of the lottery round.
Specifics:
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 180lbs
Wingspan: 6’3″
Position: Point Guard
Age: 19 years, 7 months
College: Oklahoma, Freshman
Home Town: Norman, Oklahoma
Stat-line (per game):
| Season | GS | MP | FG% | 3P | 3PA | 3P% | FT | FTA | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 32 | 35.4 | .422 | 3.7 | 10.3 | .360 | 7.4 | 8.6 | .861 | 3.9 | 8.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 27.4 |
| Career | 32 | 35.4 | .422 | 3.7 | 10.3 | .360 | 7.4 | 8.6 | .861 | 3.9 | 8.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 27.4 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 6/6/2018.
Next up, TI dives into the specifics of Young’s game with a look at areas he excels and where he needs to focus on improving.
Skills:
There is much to like about Trae Young in terms of his potential. The Curry comparison has merit if for no other reason than Young’s range. But, there are other tangible areas of their games which bear resemblance.
Especially notable is his ball handling skills. Although not as astute as Curry, Young is a quality ball distributor with surprisingly good court vision given his height. Additionally, Young demonstrated adeptness at passing with either hand.
Several pundits cite Trae Young’s advanced pick and roll decision making. What this speaks to is Young’s high basketball I.Q. which most definitely will be necessary at the pro level especially since he’ll be tasked with running an offense and dealing with larger defenders.
Yet, the major asset of Trae Young is his ability to score and do so virtually from any where past half court. And, because of defenders needing to respect his shooting efficiency it also opens lanes for him to drive with a view to scoring or creating for teammates.
Finally, Young is comfortable taking clutch time shots and more accurately invites those opportunities.
Weaknesses:
Clearly Trae Young’s size is going to be the biggest question as he meets with prospective teams. And, not just in terms of his overall height, but his weight, strength and meager 6’3″ wingspan. After setting records early in the NCAA season Young regressed to close out the College year.
His perimeter shot took the biggest hit in efficiency. Through the first 16 games he connected on 68 of 167 triple attempts for 40 percent. In the second half these numbers fell off with Young hitting 50 of his 161 attempts for 31 percent.
Granted, teams were better prepared to force his shot or run him off the perimeter. Plus he’ll need to deal with much taller guards at the pro level and not turn over the ball in those situations.
As he moves into the pro level Young must add strength and combine it with his ability to change speed. Young’s capacity to master this area will play a major part in how successful he is at the pro level. If he adapts, it will force defenders to respect his drive or ability to set up teammates. If not, it will stifle his new team’s offense.
The obvious issue will be Young’s defense. Can he add enough strength and intelligence to not completely erase the benefits he’ll add offensively?
Ultimately, channeling Curry may well be Young’s best bet since his physical limitations won’t change other than adding strength.
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
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- 3 OKC Thunder players who can step up in Aleksej Pokusevski’s absence
- Aleksej Pokusevski sidelined approximately 6 weeks with ankle injury
- Damian Lillard does not fit with the OKC Thunder
Consensus first-team All-American (2018)
Big 12 Freshman of the Year (2018)
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.