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NBA Draft 2018: Trae Young is more than a “boom or bust” prospect

By Scott Levine

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners is defended by Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the first half of the game during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 15: Trae Young #11 of the Oklahoma Sooners is defended by Fatts Russell #2 of the Rhode Island Rams in the first half of the game during the first round of the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 15, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Trae Young’s strengths will only let him fall so far as an NBA player

Trae Young gained attention in the pre-draft process because of his impressive shooting and advanced playmaking ability.

Young drew comparisons to Stephen Curry, but also made scouts wonder if his style of play would translate to the NBA. For this reason, some have labelled him a “boom or bust” prospect, and think he’ll either be a starting primary creator, or a backup point guard.

Young’s below average finishing ability and lack of elite burst gives teams pause. There are zero above average starting point guards who struggle at both finishing at the rim and at creating separation.

Young will likely never be a good finisher. He will have to settle for floaters when he gets in the lane, but has room for growth when creating separation.

His deep range gave him an added advantage when beating his man. He had success baiting defenders into respecting his shot, dribbling the ball across their body, and darting the other way.

This did not always work. Young does not have many ways to blow by his defenders because of his small frame.

He might fare better when forcing big men to switch onto him. They can use their length to bother his shot, but if he gets bigs on an island, and they open their hips to him, he can blow by them.

They will likely be able to recover, though. He doesn’t have a ton of change of pace to his drives. Young is mostly a predictable straight-line driver, and NBA bigs can stride with him. He will need to add some craft to his basket attacks.

Not creating separation will put a cap on his upside. However, Young is such a talented passer and shooter that he will still have avenues to success. He may not start, but can still be a valuable bench playmaker, especially when paired with a primary creator.

Young’s off-ball potential went untapped at Oklahoma. According to Nate Duncan on the Duncd’on on Basketball Podcast, he had to take 78 percent of his 3’s off the dribble, and hit 34 percent of them. Duncan also said that Young went 14 for 21 on unguarded catch and shoots.

If he plays off-ball and attacks closeouts, he will get into positions where he can display his playmaking instincts.

His floater ability could aid his playmaking nicely. New Orleans found success last season cobbling together guards who have to be respected from floater range. This freed up lobs and bounce passes to Anthony Davis for dunks.

Playing Young with another point guard brings defensive concerns. He’ll have trouble if paired with a small guard. He’ll struggle against NBA shooting guards, but might give you enough on offense to make the trade-off worth it.

The ideal situation for Young is to play alongside a bigger creator so that he does not have to shoulder the offensive burden, but can still guard the opposing point guard. In such a situation, he can be a starting quality player.

Must Read: 2018 NBA Draft: Most underrated/overrated prospects at each position

This seems like a lot of hoops to jump through to optimize Trae Young, but given his shooting and playmaking instincts, it might be worth it. Couple this with his primary creator upside, and he has a strong case to be picked in the top five.