With the 6th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, the Orlando Magic select…
The Orlando Magic will have the 6th pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, June 21. With this pick, I believe they will select guard Trae Young out of the University of Oklahoma.
Pros:
In his only college season, Young was the most electric player in the NCAA and averaged 27.4 points, 8.7 assists, and 1.7 steals.
Young’s best part of his game is his shooting. He shot 36% from three last season and had seemingly limitless range, consistently making shots from past the NBA three-point line. He was not just a stand-still shooter and was able to make these shots while moving or from off the dribble. Young also has very good ball handling and court vision which obviously help his as a point guard.
At times last season, Young was virtually unstoppable and had multiple 35+ point outings. Some of his best games were when he had 39 points, 14 assists, and two steals against TCU, or when he had 44 points and 9 assists against Baylor University.
Cons:
Young will be physically outmatched at the next level. Not only is he undersized in height, but he lacks the speed and explosiveness of many modern point guards. Young’s shooting should help make up for these detriments, but his athleticism is definitely a concern.
Young is also very poor on defense. This negative is partly because of his lack of athleticism, but he also showed very bad effort on that end. Young’s defensive effort will have to improve if he wants any significant playing time at the next level.
Lastly, Young’s shot selection was sometimes infuriating. He shot tons of contested or fade-away threes which hurt the flow of the offense. While his poor selection can be attributed to his teams lack of talent last year, it makes some question how he will adjust to playing with higher talent levels next year.
Conclusion:
Because of Young’s shooting and the way the NBA is today, he might have the highest ceiling in the draft. He has been compared to Stephen Curry as a dream scenario, but this dream comes with its consequences. Young has the most potential to be a bust out of all the early picks and could turn into a newer version of Jimmer Fredette.
While Young is a risky pick, his potential and fit with the modern NBA will have lots of teams interested. If everything works out, he can become a big talent. My player comparison for Young is Stephen Curry.