2015 NBA Draft: Joseph Young (PG/SG; Sr; Oregon)

Birthday: 6/27/92

NBA Position: PG/SG 

Class: Senior

Ht: 6-2

Wt: 185

Hometown: Houston, TX

High School: Yates

NBA Comparison: Daniel Gibson/Dana Barros

Strengths: 

One of the NCAA’s top scorers over the past few seasons, has many ways to create offense … Great jump shooter, was highly effective from all three levels … Dangerous with and without the ball … Ran the pick-and-roll well, while also doing great things as a spot-up shooter … Sneaky athleticism, does not necessarily have blow by speed, but nice change of direction … Did a lot more work at the point this year, doubled his assist total while posting a 1.58:1 assist-to-turnover ratio … Made good decisions in transition, scored a lot of his points and often made the right play … His efficiency closer to the rim improved as a senior … Showed more aggression as a rebounder, which is a positive sign for his intensity on the floor … Defended both guard positions, shows toughness and a good idea of where people are on the floor … Led team beyond expectations, thrives as an underdog and does not back down from a challenge … High volume shooter who still managed to shoot a solid percentage from the field, particularly from inside the arc during his last two seasons … One of the NCAA’s top FT shooters, got to the line at a decent rate while shooting 92.5% as a senior, 90% during his time at Oregon … He is someone you need to take stock in when he cuts to the basket, no hesitation and a very competent finisher … Played big minutes during his last few seasons in college, very well conditioned ...

Weaknesses: 

Still much more of a SG in a PG’s body, which makes him quite undersized by NBA standards … Team was much better off when someone else was the primary ball handler, he had difficulty proving that he can play the point at the next level … Like most shooters can be streaky. He had a very rough patch from long range at the start of the season with his three point percentage dropping to 35.7% this past season (from 41.5% the season before) … Will need to work on moving his feet when guarding the ball, often did not display his best possible effort when defending in isolation … Will need to be able to defend point guards and will need to show more intensity … Did not get a huge amount of steals, plus he is not a very imposing target to shoot over … Rarely shot off of screens, will need to become much more accustomed to doing so … Driving right and coming off of his screens to his left shoulder are both things he needs to work on … While turnovers were not a huge issue, he did turn it over much more than usual as he played more PG … Drove to the basket much less this year, another sign of his doing his best work off of the ball ...

Notes: 

Son of University of Houston alumnus and former NBA player, Michael Young … Measured 6'2 (in shoes) 178 lbs, with a 6'4.5 wingspan at the 2014 Nike Guard Skills Academy … 2010 Texas Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year … 3rd Team Parade All-American in 2010 … 2010 team at Yates was 34-0 and ranked No. 1 in the Nation by USA Today … Was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman team and earned Third Team All-Conference USA as a sophomore at Houston … Transferred from University of Houston to University of Oregon after his sophomore season … 2nd Team All Pac-12 as a junior at Oregon … 2015 Pac-12 Player of the Year, named to the All Pac-12 1st Team … Was named to the Sporting News All-American 3rd Team … Finished career with 2,304 points (17.5 ppg) on 45.3% FG, 39% 3PT and 88.6% FT … Averaged Pac-12 leading 20.7 ppg, with 4.4 rpg and 3.8 apg as a senior … Averaged 26.3 ppg (52.1% FG) in his four NCAA Tournament games during his time at Oregon … Projects as a scoring sparkplug off of the bench, someone to stretch the floor and keep defenses honest … Major threat if given an open look, strong all-around shooter who should be quite ready to shoot from NBA 3-point range … His FT shooting shows the level of confidence in his stroke and mechanics … If a team is patient enough to work on his ball handling and playmaking skills, could really pay off as an offensive PG down the line … His ability to score from just about every level on the floor, along with pro pedigree, give him a strong resume for the pros … Play in big games really helped push him towards being a possible NBA Draftee … Lack of size will be a hurdle, though toughness and understanding of the game could make him a guy who fights for a roster spot as a shooting specialist ...

Michael Visenberg 5/23/15