Will Trae Young do better than Kyler Murray in draft position?

With the MLB Draft now in the rear-view mirror, the focus turns to the NBA Draft, with Sooner fans waiting to see how high Trae Young will go.

Related Story: Five reasons former OU superstar Trae Young will make it in the NBA

The 2018 NBA Draft is 13 days away, and former Norman North and Oklahoma Sooner star Trae Young continues to hold strong in most mock drafts, settling in around the No. 6 through 8 draft positions.

If he were to be drafted sixth, seventh or eighth, as generally projected, Young would go to the Orlando Magic, the Chicago Bulls or the Cleveland Cavaliers, respectively.

If the Chicago Bulls, for example, were to land Young, the scoring and assist leader in college basketball in the 2017 season, with the lucky No. 7 overall pick, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony estimates that the Oklahoma one-and-done sensation would have a starting salary of around $4.4 million, a little more than half of what the No. 1 overall draft pick is likely to receive.

At 6-feet, 2-inches, Young is a projected point guard in the NBA, the same position he has played since high school. His strengths are listed as shooting, passing and ball handling, all three of which were on full display in his one season at Oklahoma.

The biggest concerns about Young’s potential stardom in the NBA center around his height and size. He is short of height and physical size by NBA point-guard standards, and some NBA experts have criticized his athleticism as average at best.

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Some have said that having better players around him will only make Young better, and his superb passing skills are sure to make his teammates better. By the same token, though, the former Sooner point guard will be matched up against better players than he faced in college, and there were times in college when he played a little at of control, particularly when he tried to beat bigger players off the dribble and take the ball to the basket. This could be a problem against bigger, stronger NBA bigs.

Young’s lack of size and body strength are also of some concern in playing defense, which was far from his strong suit at OU. He will face some difficulty in staying in front of bigger and more athletic guards at the next level, and his lean frame will work against him in fighting through screens set by taller and stronger NBA players.

Let’s be clear, though, about what NBA teams are looking for most from the former Oklahoma star and why his draft position is largely projected in the top 10. Young’s draft stock is almost exclusively based on his shooting, exceptional passing ability and laser-like court vision. If that is what his soon-to-be NBA employer wants from Young, whoever that is won’t be disappointed.

Young has defied the critics and excelled at every level he has played so far. The NBA is an even bigger step, but someone as competitive as Young welcomes the challenge and the chance to prove any and all doubters wrong.

Oklahoma two-sport star Kyler Murray surprised practically everyone in baseball when he was selected No. 9 overall by the Oakland Athletics in the 2018 MLB Draft earlier this week.

In a couple of weeks, Sooner fans could be celebrating an even higher draft selection when NBA commissioner Adam Silver steps to the podium during the NBA Draft to announce the selection of Trae Young.

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