Meet Trae Young, the possible one-and-done point guard few saw coming

Collin Sexton and Trevon Duval came into the year as the seemingly only one-and-done point guards, but Trae Young has something to say about that.

De’Aaron Fox, Lonzo Ball, Markelle Fultz, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina. The 2017 NBA Draft class was loaded at point guard. One class later, there’s certainly not the same depth or star power names.

Coming into the season, Collin Sexton and Trevon Duval were McDonald’s All-Americans poised to be the top two floor generals. Not just of their class, but nationwide. So far both guys have lived up to their reputations. However, Oklahoma’s freshman point guard Trae Young is having as good a year, if not better.

Not your average point guard

Young was also an All-American and his numbers are utterly ridiculous. At just 19, Young is posting averages of 28.2 points, 8.6 assists, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals, while hitting nearly 39 percent of his 3s. Only six players in Sports Reference’s database have ever recorded a season with 20 points and eight assists, and one of those six only played in six games. Young is the only one with over 25 points and not many can boast his shooting percentages.

Expect those numbers to drop at least a bit, but barring an avalanche of a fall, we’re talking about one of the best offensive seasons from a point guard in recent memory. That’s for any age, not just freshmen.

With a combined 71 points against Arkansas and Oregon, he’s already proved he can fill it up against good athletes. Now, basketball isn’t a game confined to numbers. Inside and beyond the numbers, there are parts of Young’s game that are very promising and others that are concerning. Let’s start with the good.

The good

Young is 17-for-44 from deep to start the year and he takes them from all over. He has legitimate Stephen Curry range. Seriously, he’ll pull up from almost anywhere. In addition, he’s shown a deft eye for his teammates, which he needs to have when he shoots as much as does. Young sees the whole court, often throwing the ball the full length of the court in transition.

The possible one-and-done prospect is also very crafty with the ball. Oklahoma’s freshman is already great at changing speeds, getting to the line and knocking those down. On the season, Young is shooting 89 percent from the line. Young is already great at lulling defenders to sleep and then jolting by them.

The bad

These are all very positive and even more so when weighing his deficiencies. Young has to be crafty and a great outside shooter because he’s a below-average athlete without elite burst.  He’s what you would call quick, not fast. Athleticism-wise, Young may not be able to dunk at all.

He’s also fairly small, lean and plays smaller than his 6’2″ height. This leads to him getting destroyed on the defensive end, though his effort at times also leaves a lot to be desired. While he likely will never be a league-average defender, there’s still plenty to like.

Conclusion

Young is an elite shot-maker, good passer, good at disrupting with steals and getting to the line. His biggest need for improvement will be finishing at the rim. Mastering a floater would be more than ideal. However, for such a crafty young player, there’s no reason he can’t get there. Just look at Curry. That’s not to proclaim Young the next Curry by any means, but creative finishing can develop.

Right now, Young has a strong chance to be a lethal offensive point guard, who with strong effort can become less of a liability on defense. That’s the glass half full view. On the flip side, if he can’t finish better and overcome his athletic limitations, is he really a starting-caliber NBA point guard?

Next: 2018 NBA Draft Big Board - Mid-November

For now, we’ve only gotten five games to go off of and a lot can change. However, Young has certainly firmly entered the first round conversation for the 2018 NBA Draft. Right now, he might be a better prospect than Duval and statistically he’s having a better year than Sexton. Who saw this coming? Maybe just Young and Oklahoma. What it’s created is a more enticing point guard group and a potentially surprising extra one-and-done player.