Post by jhb on Feb 23, 2021 12:53:01 GMT -5
Thaddeus Young
PF
6'8"
235
19
Georgia Tech
Thad Young is an interesting case study on the effect of the TMBSL draft age limit on player development. Young would have had every intention of going immediately to the professional level straight out of high school if he could have. A very highly regarded prospect, Young took the opportunity to go to a school whose coach would allow him to totally focus on developing his game rather than contributing to his team's success. Now scouts may have more questions than they did a year ago. Georgia Tech has struggled this season far more than they likely would have if they hadn't been essentially having a season dedicated to Thaddeus Young trying to show NBA scouts that he could play on the perimeter on offense some and be the type of stretch 4 that excites TMBSL front offices.
But that means that while Young should have been showcasing his strengths, which include explosive athleticism and tantalizing length, Young has camped out on the perimeter and tried to show everyone that he can be a spot-up shooter. Less than 10% of his offensive output in college came from the post, which is a shame because he has the strength and touch to be an excellent finisher in the lane, but now scouts question if he'll be able to do that at the next level. And while Young showed a fine shooting stroke, making 42% of his threes on three attempts per game and almost 75% of his free throws, Young will never be much more than a spot-up shooter or catch and shoot guy as he doesn't possess the ball-handling ability to be a shot creator. Scouts believe if Young were to focus on being more of a screen and roll man who can pop out and hit a jumper, he'll be far more dangerous at the next level than he was in college just hanging out at the three point line ready to shoot.
Defensively, Young also needs to accept who he is. He plodded around trying to guard perimeter assignments, being exploited due to bad focus, footwork, and positioning even though he has the athleticism to hang with most college perimeter players. He gambled often to get steals to turn into transition highlights. A little bit of self-awareness would turn him into an excellent help defender in the post who could be a shot-blocking threat, but it seems Young either is scared of the physicality or just really wants to be a small forward at the next level. He isn't. This mindset affects his rebounding as well, choosing to leak out to run in transition rather than crashing the boards.
The scary thing about Young is that he has all the tools and upside to become a very good TMBSL power forward. The question is does he have the self-awareness to start taking his raw tools and turning them into a good player.
