Trae Young

[grubs10]

Man, I think you guys are missing the boat on Young. To me he looks like the closest thing we've seen to Steph Curry since Steph Curry. If he slips out of the lottery its going to be a mistake.

To me its more like we haven't seen a player try harder to be Steph Curry before. But he ain't Steph and never will be.

[Mulhollanddrive]

Young is close to 30 points, 10 assists on 50/40/90.

Anybody would look special on those numbers.

At FIBA U18 and Nike Challenge over 9 games he shot 25%.

Let's see how he looks once his full spectrum is shown.

[916fan]

His shot selection is just so horrible. With the way he plays right now, I feel like he might be the type of player who needs 20shots to put up his points. Oklahoma is giving him way too much of a greenlight. I don't like the way he plays at all.

After watching 3-4 games, I'm not convinced that he's quick. He doesn't have a quick 1st step, nor does he explode off the move. What he does extremely well is change his hands. He's elite at the stop and go, but you guys think that's translatable without the burst? He doesn't seem to be a good finisher at the rim.

I have him as a late 1st round pick, but with the way this class is looking..he can get inside the lotto. Just not a fan of him in general. Getting some Trey Burke/Cameron Payne vibes from him.

[No-Man]

His shot selection is just so horrible. With the way he plays right now, I feel like he might be the type of player who needs 20shots to put up his points. Oklahoma is giving him way too much of a greenlight. I don't like the way he plays at all.

After watching 3-4 games, I'm not convinced that he's quick. He doesn't have a quick 1st step, nor does he explode off the move. What he does extremely well is change his hands. He's elite at the stop and go, but you guys think that's translatable without the burst? He doesn't seem to be a good finisher at the rim.

I have him as a late 1st round pick, but with the way this class is looking..he can get inside the lotto. Just not a fan of him in general. Getting some Trey Burke/Cameron Payne vibes from him.

He has burst, maybe not elite, but really good, his acceleration is great, you can see it on the open court and when he has space, he runs really fast, and he uses his handle to trick people in small windows.

He might take bad shots but he has been insanely efficient (breaking records literally for frosh PG), the only big glaring issue is his inability to finish due to lack of explosion/frame/length, that's about it. Been bothered by PGs taking shots is a bit weird with the way basketball is played nowadays, isnt it? he is borderline 50/40/90 shooting 9 3s and 9 FTs per game, his numbers are unreal.

His vision is on another level compared to Burke or Payne, he might still bust due to the lack of finishing and his pull-up is worse than he thinks he is, but the upside is probably worth it.

He is a risky guy, but the talent is undeniable, I understand having qualms with him even as a top10 pick, but the risk is way worth a late lotto selection and obviously a teens pick, having him in the late 1st is a joke.

[The-Power]

Damn does he look dominant and skilled out there. Yes, he takes bad shots and tries to do too much/is too optimistic about some of his shots and passes – but you guys realize he's still just 19 years old in his first year against college competition? He will improve in the mental part of the game as he matures.

Oh, and of course he'll also develop his skill-level. What sets him apart from most other small scoring PGs in college is that he has legitimate vision and passing skills, along with great handles and shiftiness. He understands angles well and knows how to get to his spots by being crafty, skilled and quick with the ball.

The main concern for him is definitely how he'll be able to contribute to a team in which he doesn't get to do whatever he wants. But this is the trade-off he made: he now can showcase his full arsenal – which wouldn't be possible to this extent elsewhere – but has to prove that he can be an effective secondary option or bench player if the team that drafts him wants him to start out in such a role.

So while there are doubts, there is also a tremendous upside. Lillard, Irving, Curry – all of them are incredibly successful players playing not unlike Young. So his player-type is a hot commodity and can be very successful in the NBA. Whether he reaches All-Star level or not remains to be seen, sure, but he sure as hell is enticing as a prospect; more and more with each passing day. Sure has been moving up on my big board recently.

[No-Man]

He is insanely good off-ball whenever he is at it, not often, I mean he does go hard and fast to find open spots and his off-ball 3s % is sky-high, I think he can be used in that sense, and also in DHO which is something that OU doesn't do that often, he could kill.

I would say his athletic profile/size is inferior to Lillard, Irving and Curry, and I doubt he gets to be as good of a finisher, but if he hones the pull-up, he can be there otherwise (likely bad on D similar to Lillard, less switchable, has great hands for steals, Steph-level, but that's about it on that end).

All together I think his upside is someone as good in terms of positive impact as Kemba, who also couldn't finish when he got to the league and improved there (although he is more athletic than Trae, but Trae is much further along as a shooter).

I think top10 for sure, maybe top7 if he shows improvements as a finisher.

[The-Power]

He is insanely good off-ball whenever he is at it, not often, I mean he does go hard and fast to find open spots and his off-ball 3s % is sky-high, I think he can be used in that sense, and also in DHO which is something that OU doesn't do that often, he could kill.

This part of his game is going to be critical for his bust-potential. If he proves to be a valuable off-ball player on offense then I cannot see him bust at all. If he needs the ball in his hands to produce then, well, that's going to be an issue in 4 out of 5 realistic scenarios I'd say.

I would say his athletic profile/size is inferior to Lillard, Irving and Curry, and I doubt he gets to be as good of a finisher, but if he hones the pull-up, he can be there otherwise (likely bad on D similar to Lillard, less switchable, has great hands for steals, Steph-level, but that's about it on that end).

On defense he's not going to be any good but as long as he's not Isaiah Thomas-level bad then that's not a deal breaker for me. Lillard-bad on defense seems like a realistic scenario and that's not nearly bad enough to outweigh what he should be able to provide on offense. In terms of offense, I mostly care about his ability get into the lane consistently and he should be capable of doing that with his handles, the ability to shift gears quickly and of course the threat of pulling up at any point. I

All together I think his upside is someone as good in terms of positive impact as Kemba, who also couldn't finish when he got to the league and improved there (although he is more athletic than Trae, but Trae is much further along as a shooter).

I think top10 for sure, maybe top7 if he shows improvements as a finisher.

I wouldn't rule it out that he can finish at a decent level at the next level – and I don't mean by just leveraging his shooting/pull-up ability (although that's going to be a big part of it). He's shown some great touch around the rim when he went full-speed in transition. These instances make me optimistic that he'll improve in half-court settings as well. After all, it's not really a surprise to see some guards struggling with finishing at the rim at times in their early college days. Oh, and his ability to use floaters certainly helps to alleviate the disadvantages around the rim a bit.

I will say this: Young, to me, looks like the only possible anchor of a good NBA offense in the upcoming draft besides Doncic. I don't believe Sexton or any other guard can be this type of offensive anchor, nor do I see any forward (only Porter might get there but this is even more of a long-shot than it is with Young) and much less a big man being that. The bust potential is obviously there and he might never even be given the keys to an offense because he doesn't separate himself enough from the pack. But I do believe it's within the realm of possibility and this kind of upside makes him an early worthwhile gamble – Top 7 looks possible all of a sudden if he continues with what he's been doing thus far.

[blazeyo]

This ugly kid is special.

[CptCrunch]

I have not watched him other than a highlight or two. Let me ask this question, setting potential aside (ie, ignoring Buddy Hield’s age), what makes his game more translatable than let’s say Sauce, Buddy or McLemore, Jimmer?

Volume scoring guards without elite skills in either (athleticism + shooting or slashing) don’t make impacts in the NBA. Based on the past few pages, it seems that Trae doesn’t have these things.

Maybe it is because they were all drafted by the Kings (-Jimmer), and Trae is the pretty much the Kings' pick this year...

[blazeyo]

I have not watched him other than a highlight or two. Let me ask this question, setting potential aside (ie, ignoring Buddy Hield’s age), what makes his game more translatable than let’s say Sauce, Buddy or McLemore, Jimmer?

Volume scoring guards without elite skills in either (athleticism + shooting or slashing) don’t make impacts in the NBA. Based on the past few pages, it seems that Trae doesn’t have these things.

Maybe it is because they were all drafted by the Kings (-Jimmer), and Trae is the pretty much the Kings' pick this year...

Buddy, Sauce, McLemore and Jimmer were one dimensional players. Jimmer could pass a bit better than them, but you never saw point guard instincts out of him.
Jimmer and Buddy Hield were Seniors when they declared, Sauce was a sophmore and McLemore(Freshman) was the only complete bust I was surprised about, so he is an anomaly.

The difference with Young is that he is doing that while being a freshman, he has great passing skills and instincts, he can play on the ball and off the ball and he can also break down the defense and create scroring opportunities for others.
So maybe he doesn't have elite quick twich athleticism, but he will be able to break down a defense using screens at the next level with shiftiness and going downhill.

He is just much better all-aroubd player than all of them and it's not close.

[reanimator]

I just can't get passed his physical limitations and do you really want him to be ball dominant if your goal is winning at the next level? You'd need very specific type of players around him. If I were a GM, I'd draft him late lotto with the expectations of a 3rd guard and if he shatters that projection then great.

[No-Man]

McLemore was a red-shirt frosh with 0 ball skills, none of those guys were PG prospects, I am not even sure how it makes sense to bring them up.

Trey Burke would make more sense, but even with him you could see that Trae is on a different level as a ball-handler/playmaker

I was not surprised that McLemore sort of busted, I was surprised at Trey, but again, his advanced metrics and eye-test all suggested at least solid to real good passer, and then he couldn't make a pass to save his life in the league (his shooting has been overall good other than finishing).

[No-Man]

I just can't get passed his physical limitations and do you really want him to be ball dominant if your goal is winning at the next level? You'd need very specific type of players around him. If I were a GM, I'd draft him late lotto with the expectations of a 3rd guard and if he shatters that projection then great.

I mean he is not a leaper, and he can gain strength, other than that his tools are solid, length is an issue too, but 6'2 in shoes is fine in height, it's more length/explosiveness that can bother you, in terms of quickness, agility, speed, he has really good tools.

[The-Power]

Obviously there are concerns and doubts about almost every prospect. Length, athleticism, shooting, ball handling, awareness, motor – no player in this year's draft gives a definite answer to all these areas of concern. Young is no different and the chance that he never amounts to anything special in the league might indeed be disproportionally high compared to most other lottery prospects.

But, with this in mind, why wouldn't he be able to develop like, say, Lillard if given (on of the) the keys to an offense? Lillard himself was considered an average finisher in college, he was a worse/less rangy shooter, with worse passing skills and equally deficient as a defensive prospect. Not saying we should necessarily expect Young to develop like Lillard but the even the chance of him becoming something like Lillard in the NBA is enticing.

As a team in the mid-lottery that is short on potential offensive anchors I'd be all over him hoping that he can be that guy – even if it's risky. Nobody else seems to have his kind of star potential once the top 5-6 are off the board although many of the following prospects are less likely to bust. It's a gamble but I wouldn't be surprised if some team is willing to take that gamble in the 5-10 range if he keeps playing like he has so far.

[Ruzious]

He is insanely good off-ball whenever he is at it, not often, I mean he does go hard and fast to find open spots and his off-ball 3s % is sky-high, I think he can be used in that sense, and also in DHO which is something that OU doesn't do that often, he could kill.

I would say his athletic profile/size is inferior to Lillard, Irving and Curry, and I doubt he gets to be as good of a finisher, but if he hones the pull-up, he can be there otherwise (likely bad on D similar to Lillard, less switchable, has great hands for steals, Steph-level, but that's about it on that end).

All together I think his upside is someone as good in terms of positive impact as Kemba, who also couldn't finish when he got to the league and improved there (although he is more athletic than Trae, but Trae is much further along as a shooter).

I think top10 for sure, maybe top7 if he shows improvements as a finisher.

I was going to ask you how you think he compares to Kemba, because after getting to see more of him, his plusses and minuses seem to be very similar. But Kemba has that rare compete gene in him - with that insane will to compete. I'm not going to assume any college player has that until I see it game in and game out.

[King Ken]

I dont think he is a good but not great athlete. Can stroke it from deep but ive seen him miss some shots at the rim that a better athlete likely makes.

Any team who drafts him in the 1st will regret it. Not ready for the NBA. Most of these guys are at PG as FR but he clearly isn't. As skilled as he is, he needs to be even more skilled before entering the draft with his tool-box.

[King Ken]

He is insanely good off-ball whenever he is at it, not often, I mean he does go hard and fast to find open spots and his off-ball 3s % is sky-high, I think he can be used in that sense, and also in DHO which is something that OU doesn't do that often, he could kill.

I would say his athletic profile/size is inferior to Lillard, Irving and Curry, and I doubt he gets to be as good of a finisher, but if he hones the pull-up, he can be there otherwise (likely bad on D similar to Lillard, less switchable, has great hands for steals, Steph-level, but that's about it on that end).

All together I think his upside is someone as good in terms of positive impact as Kemba, who also couldn't finish when he got to the league and improved there (although he is more athletic than Trae, but Trae is much further along as a shooter).

I think top10 for sure, maybe top7 if he shows improvements as a finisher.

I was going to ask you how you think he compares to Kemba, because after getting to see more of him, his plusses and minuses seem to be very similar. But Kemba has that rare compete gene in him - with that insane will to compete. I'm not going to assume any college player has that until I see it game in and game out.

Kemba knew the game much better and had the nuisance of being a college PG down. His transition to the NBA was more physical (skill-set and tool-box) than mental(nuisance for the position, feel for the game, BBIQ).

Young will have to adjust for all of it. I don't see him being more than a 2nd stringer as his ceiling if he leaves as a Freshman. He needs to stay another year. Make sure his mental is great because he has the skill-set so even if his tool-box isn't good, it's okay because he has the rest.

[Justwar]

I just throw red flags up when I hear about him having players want to play with him. Just cause he gets assists doesn't mean it'll translate because how much shot clock is he using to obtain those assists? I'll look over the one and done era pgs, two year players with high assists and scoring in college even if it was inefficient

[No-Man]

Rough night from 3 and had a few careless passes, but they were running a **** ton, got to the rim at will, some really impressive finishes and and ones, he also did this and that




Showcasing the burst, quickness and shiftiness

Also against UT San Antonio and from this game their defense is unreal bad, like so static and slow reacting to movement, they looked like the Phoenix Suns

[Kolkmania]

He is insanely good off-ball whenever he is at it, not often, I mean he does go hard and fast to find open spots and his off-ball 3s % is sky-high, I think he can be used in that sense, and also in DHO which is something that OU doesn't do that often, he could kill.

I would say his athletic profile/size is inferior to Lillard, Irving and Curry, and I doubt he gets to be as good of a finisher, but if he hones the pull-up, he can be there otherwise (likely bad on D similar to Lillard, less switchable, has great hands for steals, Steph-level, but that's about it on that end).

All together I think his upside is someone as good in terms of positive impact as Kemba, who also couldn't finish when he got to the league and improved there (although he is more athletic than Trae, but Trae is much further along as a shooter).

I think top10 for sure, maybe top7 if he shows improvements as a finisher.

I was going to ask you how you think he compares to Kemba, because after getting to see more of him, his plusses and minuses seem to be very similar. But Kemba has that rare compete gene in him - with that insane will to compete. I'm not going to assume any college player has that until I see it game in and game out.

Kemba knew the game much better and had the nuisance of being a college PG down. His transition to the NBA was more physical (skill-set and tool-box) than mental(nuisance for the position, feel for the game, BBIQ).

Young will have to adjust for all of it. I don't see him being more than a 2nd stringer as his ceiling if he leaves as a Freshman. He needs to stay another year. Make sure his mental is great because he has the skill-set so even if his tool-box isn't good, it's okay because he has the rest.

Do you have concrete examples for these mental shortcomings and what do you mean with tool-box? His physical attributes? All your arguments look like empty statements to me, lots of general terms without providing actual evidence or examples.