NBA Comparison: Stephen Curry/Mike Bibby

Strengths: Trae Young early on in his freshman season is doing things that college basketball fans rarely see … Through Oklahoma’s first ten games, he averaged nearly 30 points and nine assists per game, which is unheard of for any player let alone a freshman … Young has also yet to score fewer than 22 points since the season opener … Young is just the fourth high-major freshman guard in seven years to record a usage rate higher than 30 percent … Two of those players, D’Angelo Russell and Markelle Fultz, were top-two draft picks … The first thing that jumps out about Young is his seemingly limitless shooting range … Young is a threat to score from anywhere on the court once he crosses half court and can effortlessly knock down shots beyond the NBA three-point line … He may be the best shooter in college basketball since Stephen Curry played at Davidson … What separates Young from other great shooters is that, like Curry, he has the ability to knock down shots from distance off a variety of dribble moves and not just off the catch or off of simple one-dribble pull ups … He has a quick, compact release with minimal wasted motion that allows him to get his shot off even in tight space … Young’s jumper unlocks numerous other options offensively for him … Although he is not the most explosive athlete, the threat of his jumper forces defenders to guard him way out on the perimeter, making it easier for him to get by his man and into the paint … Young has shown the ability to create his own shot from inside the arc with a solid handle … He has a great floater from the mid range area as well that he can score with consistently when he is not able to get all the way to the rim … Young’s ability to operate out of the pick and roll is very advanced for a player of his age … He makes great decisions and quick reads off of ball screens and is always under control … Young always plays with his head up in these situations and shows great vision in the half court and in transition … He puts his passes on target and in spots on the court where his teammates are comfortable playing … He also does a nice job of not forcing passes and making the simple play when nothing extra is needed … In transition, Young does an excellent job of leading the break and is dangerous due to his combination of vision and craftiness around the rim … When he goes to the basket, he is adept at using his body to shield himself from bigger defenders and finish through contact … He can score with both hands or dish it to open teammates to lead to an easy basket.

Weaknesses: Young does not have ideal size at 6-2 or length with just a 6-2 wingspan for an NBA guard … These physical limitations can become apparent once he gets all the way to the rim … He lacks the length and vertical explosiveness to finish through NBA length and athleticism and does not project as an efficient scorer at the basket in the NBA … He will have to rely much more on craft to be successful inside at the next level … He has been a bit turnover prone at times this season due to his tendency to make some risky passes at times … However, much of that is due to his unusually high usage rate, and he still has an assist to turnover ratio of better than two to one … Young’s shot selection at times leaves a lot to be desired … As good of a shooter as he is, there are times where he will hoist a very long jumper early in the shot clock without moving the ball and looking for a better opportunity first … As polished as Young is offensively, he is a near liability on defense … He rarely gets into a stance on this end of the floor and shows poor effort guarding the ball … Opposing guards are easily able to get into the lane against him and he is often caught ball-watching when his man does not have the ball … Due to his lack of ideal size and athleticism, he will be a guy for opposing offenses to attack … He is not explosive enough to stay in front of quick guards, and he is also not big enough to stop anyone else on the court … The effort has to improve first and foremost, but even if it does he may never be a reliable defensive player unless he can create a high number of steals … Will need to add strengh to be able to better finish off drives and also defend …

Notes: Attended Norman High School in his hometown of Norman, Oklahoma…2015-2016 Oklahoma Gatorade Player of the Year and Oklahoma Class 6A Champion…Consensus five-star recruit…McDonald’s All-American and Jordan Brand Classic Selection … Measured at 6’0, 158 lbs, with a 6’1 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Elite 100 … Measured 6’1.5’’ in shoes, with a 6’2’’ wingspan and 162 lbs at the 2015 Nike Basketball Academy … Averaged 21.3 points per game over the Nike EYBL … On December 19th, 2019 tied the all time NCAA Division I assists record with 22 against Northwestern State …

William P Desautelle 12/20/17

Strengths: 6’2 scoring point guard … Shoots well from anywhere on the floor and possesses a pure shot … Has great range and can shoot comfortably from the NBA three … Gets his feet set and shot off very quickly … Uses hop steps well and has a crafty playing style … Very good touch on his floaters and all around middle game. Can get to the rim off the dribble … Good hesitation move … Sells his crossover well … Moves well without the ball … Second in the Nike EYBL in assists per game with 7.1. Can pass out of a drive. Quick decision maker. Passes and sees the floor well … Calm demeanor. Doesn’t get rattled and plays well when pressured … Draws a lot of fouls and is a reliable free throw shooter … Second in the Nike EYBL in free throws made with 90 and shot 85.7% … Plays full court defense … Good on ball defender and plays passing lanes well. Quick and active hands. Averaged 1.9 steals per game over the Nike EYBL … Good ball handler. Quick and changes directions very well with the ball … Very competitive kid …

Weaknesses: Undersized as a scorer at 6’2 with a 6’2 wingspan … Lack of size and physicality will make defense a challenge at the next level … Has a way to go to become a true point guard … Has questionable shot selection and can be too quick with the trigger at times … Sometimes brings the ball up the court and shoots it early in the clock before without anyone else getting a touch or making the defense work … His release is low, starting from his chest … Doesn’t always keep it simple. Tries to do too much at times … Can be turnover prone … Not an elite athlete. Lacks explosiveness. Plays below the rim … May struggle defensively moving forward due to his lack of strength and playing through physicality … Is bothered by length when driving … Gets a number of shots blocked and passes deflected … One of the best at this stage …

Outlook: 2016 Peach Jam Co-MVP … Young had a strong Nike EYBL season and is one of the top guards in the 2017 high school class.

Evan Tomes 9/7/16