*If the videos do not appear, please “refresh” the webpage once

Kentucky 79, Providence 65

Sunday, December 1, 2013 | Barclays Center (Brooklyn, NY)

James Young — G/F, 6-6, 205
Freshman, 18 years old

Season: 12.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 2.3 APG

Game (33 min): 18 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist

Notes: Young was very impressive tonight. NBA size and length, terrific jump shot, tenacious defender and quick in transition. Plus, he’s only 18 years old.

Young was active tonight, and moved the ball unselfishly. He swung the ball in the beginning of possessions, and then knocked down shots when the ball reversed back to him late in the shot clock. He also finalized several plays in the open court, showcasing above-the-rim athleticism. Young’s combination of shooting, athleticism and basketball IQ give him one of the highest upsides of any player in college basketball. He impressed me across the board, and along with Julius Randle, looked like the best NBA prospect on the floor tonight.

North Carolina 82, Kentucky 77

Saturday, December 14, 2013 | Dean Smith Center (Chapel Hill, NC)

James Young — Freshman, 18 years old
G/F, 6-6, 205

Season (31.8 mpg): 14.1 PPG, 4 RPG, 1.7 APG, 2.4 Three-Pointers

Game (29 min): 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist

Outlook: Due to his size, athleticism and shooting range, Young is already one of the best scorers in the country, and a future lottery pick. He asserted himself offensively, shooting the ball and attacking the lane with power. Young displayed polished catch and shoot ability (he’s shooting 55% on unguarded catch and shoot attempts this season). He also displayed speed and athleticism to finish at the rim. He’s a dynamic scorer from the triple-threat stance.

Going forward, Young needs to improve his passing. He hardly facilitates, occasionally is a “ball stopper”, and hasn’t displayed awareness kicking out to shooters. He needs to slow down and read the defense, rather than have “tunnel vision” trying to score the ball. I think this will come with time.

Overall, Young has the physical attributes to be a terrific two-way NBA player: Shooter/athletic slasher/driver on offense, and solid on-ball defender.

Video: Attacking vs. UNC

Video: Misses vs. UNC

Video Breakdown: James Young

If the videos do not appear, please “refresh” the webpage once.

Overview: James Young entered this season as one of the prized, one-and-done freshman in Kentucky’s loaded recruiting class. A 6-6 shooting guard from Rochester, MI, Young’s calling card at this point is…well, he doesn’t exactly have one.

Only 18 years old, he is one of the youngest players in the class, and certainly is not a finished product. For starters, Young has great size and length (6-6 with a 6-11 wingspan). Able to see over defenders with his 6-6 frame, on a good day, Young can flat-out shoot the basketball and pour in 3′s.

That being said, Young has a lot of improving and refining to do if he’s going to stick in the NBA. He flashed a good amount of “potential” as a freshman, but any team that drafts Young is placing a futures bet, expecting him to improve significantly on both ends of the floor.

If Young doesn’t improve, he could end up among the endless carousel of expendable NBA wings. As currently constructed, Young’s size, length and shooting ability make him capable of providing an intermittent scoring punch, but he’s too inconsistent to be effective. Furthermore, his inability to create inside the arc/consistently make shots/defend man-to-man actually make him a liability at this point.

But that’s no indictment against Young. Again, whoever drafts Young is doing so with a belief that he’s only scratching the surface of his potential. Young doesn’t turn 19 until mid-August, and his natural size/length/shooting give him very high upside for an NBA wing. He has room to fill out his frame (only 215 pounds), and if he can find a way to tighten his jumper and develop a capable handle, he has potential to be a dynamic scorer who can accumulate points within the flow of an offense.

If Young works on his flaws—shooting consistency, developing a handle to create in the lane, becoming a good enough defender—he has a chance to be a dynamite player in two or three years. But if he doesn’t, well, Young will end up on that proverbial NBA carousel of expendable wings. Additionally, he must prove that he has a “fire in his belly” to want to improve and get better.

Young’s biggest impact this season was undoubtedly his shooting ability. While not very consistent (35% from 3-point range, and on all jump shots; 0.7 PPP shooting off the dribble, 0.9 PPP in guarded catch-and-shoots), Young has great size, a quick release and a smooth appearance. He can set his feet for catch-and-shoot opportunities (1.01 PPP, ranking in the top 40th percentile of all players), or curl off screens to create space for a jumper. Young admittedly has a tendency to fade aways on his jumpers, but overall it’s OK. He led Kentucky in 3-point shooting, and can be a terrific shooter with deep range in the NBA.

However, various aspects of Young’s game need major improvement. He’s an inconsistent shooter, both on film and via the statistics mentioned above (35% from 3-point range, on all jump shots; 0.7 PPP shooting off the dribble, 0.9 PPP in guarded catch-and-shoots).

And while he has good body control and length to drive the ball, he lacks explosiveness, which often results in Young driving the lane, only to stop and barrel into his defender for an awkward attempt. He can’t compose himself against any defensive resistance, let alone finish through it.

How will he set up his jumper at the next level? How will he create space for himself? If Young doesn’t develop some offensive moves handling the ball, then he will be relegated to being a spot-up shooter, which won’t suffice. Young can use screens to get open, but he’ll need to use his dribble at the next level. He isn’t very skilled with his right hand, to the point that he exclusively uses his left hand to create/finish. If he absolutely has to go right, he’ll use his left hand on the right side. Young has no second or third moves; simply, one dribble here or there, and then attempts to rise for a shot/barrel into his defender.

He must improve his ball handling, add strength to compensate for a lack of explosiveness in the lane, and tighten his jump shot—all critical aspects. Young has shown he’s capable, just not consistent enough to be effective.

While he must fine-tune his offensive game, Young has natural gifts and proven potential—after all, he scored 17 or more points 15 times as a freshman—which make for an attractive upside. He’s only 18 years old, and will hopefully work to further develop his offensive skills.

But defensively, it gets tricky/slightly discouraging. Simply put, Young is a very poor man-to-man defender right now. He stays upright in his stance, and gets beat off the dribble repeatedly. Young allowed 1.05 points per spot up attempt defensively, and 1.06 points per attempt “off screens” (i.e. chasing shooters around the floor); both ranked in the bottom 75th percentile nationally. He ranked in the lowest quarter of all players defensively, and it shows on film.

Both on-and-off the ball, Young doesn’t move well laterally, and he does a poor job navigating around screens. Poor defensive awareness right now, losing focus even on the ball. He has good length to clog the passing lanes, but it will take coaching and personal will to improve defensively.

Overall, Young has an intriguing offensive game, led by his size, length and shooting ability. The other aspects of his offensive game—which are ancillary right now, but will become essential in the NBA—need work. What’s his ceiling? Tough to gauge as an 18-year old. And does he have a fire in his belly to improve? I’ve never spoken to James, so I don’t know.

Young has never been explosive or physical, which showed in his inability to create inside the lane. He’s more of a finesse, rhythm, smooth-ish offensive game. When I saw Young on the AAU circuit in high school, he was crafty scoring the ball, but it was predicated on his shooting ability. A more polished jump shot will open up the rest of his game; this should come to fruition in due time. A more developed handle and a floater will allow him to create off the bounce and score inside the arc; this is the unknown. There are many question marks, but also encouraging signs.

One thing is for certain, though: it will be a process.

Let’s take a look at some video.

Strengths

• Shooting (can shoot with feet set, or coming off screens; 6-6 size allows him to see over the defense)
• Capable driver (because of size/length, but not an explosive finisher)
• Good rebounder
• If he can improve shooting consistency and ball handling, Young could be a lethal wing scorer due to versatility and range.

Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement

• Inconsistent Shooter (35% on jump shots; 33% and 0.7 PPP shooting off the dribble; 0.9 PPP guarded catch-and-shoot)
• Struggles to create offense (weak right hand, no advanced handle to create space or get past defender)
• Average athleticism, struggles to finish at the rim
• Poor man-to-man defender (practically a defensive liability right now; gets beat off the dribble repeatedly)

–

Strengths

• Shooting

Young led Kentucky in 3-point shooting this season, and converted a decent 35% from 3-point range. Jump shots made up 70% of his offensive attempts this season, and 3-pointers were by far his calling card (84% of all jump shot attempts). Not very efficient, but Young’s potential is apparent. Great size to see over the defense, and deep range.

Young struggled to create off the dribble, but he can catch-and-shoot, or run off screens. When he plays in a rhythm, he’s valuable on the wing. 1.01 points per possession with his feet set; .86 points per possessions when running off screens.

Catch-and-Shoot 3′s

Off Screens

Transition 3-Pointers

Shot-Making (off the dribble)

Young only made 13 off the dribble attempts this season; he shot 13-40, and his 0.7 points per attempt ranked in the bottom 40 percent of all players. He can take one or two dribbles, then stop-and-rise for a jumper. Capable, yes (shown below), but not yet reliable.

Made Free Throws

Young shot 71% from the foul line this season, on 4.4 attempts. He has a fluid motion and should be a solid FT shooter in the NBA.

However, if he doesn’t improve inside the arc, he won’t be able to get to the foul line. Among players with at least 550 possessions, Young’s 15.9% FT rate ranked 90 out of 145.

–

• Capable Driver, But Not Explosive

Young was not a good finisher as a freshman. He scored only 0.62 points per possession on runners, ranking in the bottom 37th percent of all players, and his 1.13 PPP finishing at the rim ranked in the 55th percentile.

He doesn’t have an advanced handle to create space for himself, and lacks the explosiveness to take off once in the lane.

However, Young has good body control and length, which he has flashed in fits and starts (shown here).

Finishing in the Lane

Transition Finishing

Cutting Alley-Oops

Young is adept at going backdoor for cuts and alley-oops. His 6-11 wingspan allows him to get up high and finish lobs.

–

• Rebounding

Offense

Young has good length and decent athleticism to corral rebounds from the wing. However, a skinny/weak frame hinders his ability to finish put-backs. Young was 4-18 on put-backs attempts this season.

Defense

Good awareness, can track the ball and start the fast break himself.

—

Weaknesses / Areas of Improvement

• Inconsistent Shooter

70% of Young’s attempts this season were jump shots, by far the most of any kind. He basically lived on the perimeter, partly because he had a semi-good jumper, but also because of a lack of strength/handle to finish inside the arc.

Jump shot breakdown:

• 8.3% short-range (9-20, 45% FG)
• 8.3% mid-range (7-20, 35% FG)
• 83.4% 3-point (70-201, 35% FG)

Young is capable but too inconsistent to be effective. Can’t really create offense right now, will need to improve.

Off the Dribble Shooting Misses

Catch-and-Shoot Misses

–

• Creating Offense / Weak Right Hand

Young struggles enormously as a ball handler, namely, creating space and shot attempts for himself. He’s inept with his right hand, exclusively using his left hand to create/finish. He will always use his left hand, even on the right side, and if he absolutely has to go right, he will pick up his dribble after two bounces.

He must develop a handle to get to the rim, or a floater (he recorded a putrid .61 PPP on floaters this season) to finish once he gets into the lane. Average athleticism and handle hinders his ability to create/finish from 2-point range.

Finishing Struggles

Barrels Into Defender

Young doesn’t have great coordination/balance on runners, and barrels into his defender. Needs to develop his mid-range game (pull-up jumper, floater, etc) to be effective in the lane.

Lacks Explosiveness?

Turnovers

Young committed several turnovers due to a poor handle. He struggles to keep his dribble alive, and it’s costly, both to his team and to his personal rhythm.

Poor Offensive Awareness

Young sometimes has tunnel vision driving the basketball. He could have avoided several ill-advised driving attempts by simply looking out for open teammates.

Weak Off Hand – Driving

Rarely uses his off hand (right hand) as a driver or shooter. Doesn’t create well going right, picking up his dribble and unable to finish plays.

Weak Right Hand – Perimeter (picks up dribble)

–

• Defense

Very poor man-to-man defender. He stays upright in his stance, and gets beat off the dribble repeatedly.

Young allowed 1.05 points per spot up attempt defensively, and 1.06 points per attempt “off screens” (i.e. chasing shooters around the floor); both ranked in the bottom 75th percentile nationally. He ranked in the lowest quarter of all players defensively, and it shows on film.

Both on-and-off the ball, Young doesn’t move well laterally, and he does a poor job navigating around screens. Poor defensive awareness right now, losing focus even on the ball. He has good length to clog the passing lanes, but he needs to do a better job of containing penetration. I’d argue this should be Young’s primary focus.