A Point Guard from the Oklahoma Sooners, Trae Young, is a young rising star in the making for college basketball. Over the course of his tenure in college, he has been turning people's heads with his game. His mo st famous ones would be against the Oregon Ducks by finishing with 43 points, 7 assists, while the other is against Northwestern State where he had 26 points, 22 assists. With these amazing stats, many analysts compared him to one of the brightest stars in the NBA game: Stephen Curry. However, once he declared that he will go to the NBA Draft, people begin to question whether or not it's the right move for him.
Following Oklahoma's loss in the the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament, Young declared on his Twitter that he will declare for the June NBA Draft. In a Sports Illustrated article, Young said "In the end, I have to make the decision that I believe is best for me, but it doesn't mean I do so without a heavy heart," Young explained. "I don't pretend to be ready to play in the NBA today, but I am determined to do what I've always done: invest in the work to prepare for the league and the incredible challenges it presents...sharpening my skills and studying the best of the best."
Young really shows his commitment into proving doubters wrong. Great as his commitment to proving people wrong, history isn't in this favor. Throughout these past years 19 year olds that come into the NBA with one year experience in college generally don't get off to a great start. The reason being that they don't have the luxury of spending more time growing up and honing their skills as a player. An example would be Brandon Ingram of the Los Angeles Lakers. He came out of Duke as a 19 year old player, but, as the season wore on he, wasn't the player many people expected. It was only until he worked out in the summer and a second season in the NBA did he began to flourish well. Now he's a candidate for the 'Most Improved Player' award. However, he could very well still be the player people expected. SportsBlog wrote that Young is "One of the most dynamic offensive talents I've seen in a long time. His game isn't perfect, but he is a really, really lethal shooter and a terrific scorer." Another upside with Young is displayed through an ESPN article. The article stated that Young was selected Big 12 freshman of the year and shattered the conference's freshman scoring record with 811 points, passing the likes of Kevin Durant.
Whether it's a good move or not, at the end of the day, he's declared himself in the draft and nothing can change it. His goal right now is to prove the doubters wrong and show the people who believed in him what they hope to see in him.
