Oregon Ducks Basketball: Joseph Young NBA Draft Profile

Joseph Young was the engine behind the Oregon Basketball team the last two seasons.  He made some huge plays, some clutch shots, and played his best games against the best competition.  Young sometimes took questionable shots and got streaky shooting-wise but he was one of the biggest reasons why Oregon outperformed all expectations.  As a fan I was not expecting anywhere near the success that last year's team had.  Joseph Young was a stellar college player, one of the best scorers in the country, but now that he's transitioning to the NFL his skills will be tested and his size will create some restrictions for him.

Important Stats at Oregon

Pac-12 Player of the Year - Sporting News 3^rd Team All-American

Senior Year:

20.7 PPG

4.4 RPG

3.8 APG

35.7% 3-point

36.7 Minutes Per Game

NBA Draft Combine Measurable

Height:  6'2" with shoes

Weight:  185 lb

Wingspan:  6'5"

No Step Vertical Jump: 34.5 inches

Draft Projections

Yahoo.com - 53^rd to Cleveland

Draftexpress.com - 43^rd to Cleveland

NBADraft.net - 43^rd to Utah

Chad Ford of ESPN in Mock Draft 7 - 27^th to Los Angeles Lakers

Strengths:

The greatest trait that Joseph Young have is that he can make plays and create opportunities for himself.  He doesn't need anyone to set him up for looks.  .  He was the clear offensive threat on the Oregon team and he still averaged over 20 points per game.  Young can put the team on his back and work under pressure against top competition.

With today's new analytics there is a strong preference for players who get to the rim or shoot threes.  Joseph Young is a player who does a great job getting to the rim.  He really excels in moving through traffic, drawing fouls near the rim, and taking high percentage shots.  He rarely settles for mid-range jumpers, statistically the least-efficient shots.  Last year Young's 3-point rate was 35.7%, which isn't great, but a lot of those shots were off the dribble and under tight pressure.

What Needs Work:

Even though Joseph Young was keyed on and game-planned for by every team he faced Young didn't do a great job of setting his teammates up for success.  He averaged 4 assists per game and didn't maximize his ability to get to the rim to create 3-point opportunities for his teammates.  Given his size he will probably have to guard point guards he needs to improve his defensive skills as well.

Final Analysis:

His height, or lack thereof, might bring up doubts with him as a shooting guard in the NBA, which is probably where Young fits best position-wise.  The best shooting guards tend to be in the 6'4" range and higher but replacement-level shooting guards and rotational players can be in the 6'2" area.  He plays as a shooting guard but has the size of a point guard and I have real concerns about his ability to play point guard in the NBA.

There will be a big learning curve for Joseph Young once he enters the league.  When he goes up against better players and better athletes his ability to get to the rim and shoot off the dribble might diminish.  Young played some of his best games against top competition, which is a great sign that he can handle pressure and play competition.  Playing top competition day in and day out will be a change for him.  I think that Young can be a solid rotation player.  By spending more time on his strengths and if he fits the right scheme he could be a very effective player.  Given that his ceiling isn't incredibly high, there are some question marks as to what position he'll play, and we don't know how he'll adapt to the level of play in the NBA I think he'll go in the second round and would be a solid value there.