Initially projected to be a guaranteed top 10 pick, recent projections have Oklahoma star Trae Young falling to the Clippers at No. 12.
Oklahoma star Point Guard Trae Young was undoubtedly college basketball’s best player last season. Since the dawn of this year’s mock drafts, he’s been a projected top 10, even top 5 pick. However, in yesterday’s ESPN Mock Draft Special, Adrian Wojnarowski had Young going to the LA Clippers at No. 12.
What caused this change? Why is Young slipping so far? And should we be worried?
The Orlando Magic and New York Knicks are the two teams most likely to take a chance on Young, at No. 6 and No. 9 respectively. Both need point guards desperately, and while the initial consensus was Young to the Magic, that decision is becoming more difficult.
According to Bleacher Report, the Magic are “razor-thin” between taking Collin Sexton or Young. The Knicks, then, may lean more towards selecting Lonnie Walker IV and stick with Frank Ntilikina up top.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the conversation as well at No. 8. LeBron James has praised Young several times in the past, and most recently two days ago on Instagram. Drafting Young is one way the Cavs could appease James in an attempt to keep him in Cleveland.
However, the word around the league is that James won’t be re-signing with the Cavaliers. If that’s the case, they could still select Young, but may be better off grabbing Sexton or Michael Porter Jr.
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That leaves the Clippers at 12 with a decision to make. On one hand, they could select a longer, two-way threat in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. A 6-6 point guard with a 6-11 wingspan is a rare find, and he fits the mold that Jerry West and the Clippers are establishing.
On the other, Young is a potential superstar. He averaged 27.4 points and 8.7 assists per game as a freshman at Oklahoma, and was a consensus First-Team All-American. His offensive game is superb, despite some inefficient games down the stretch of the season that lowered his percentages.
From November through January, Young shot nearly 41% from three-point land. However, from February through March (including postseason), that number dipped down to 26%.
It’s hard to be sure which version of Young will be more prevalent in the NBA. That being said, the Clippers would be wise not to pass on him. Even if he isn’t in their future plans, he’d be an excellent trade asset that they could use to trade down, or for an established star.