NBA Draft: Potential Sleepers Selected in the Second Round

#43 Joseph Young (Oregon), PG/SG – Indiana Pacers

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

It’s not clear whether Joseph Young is a point guard or a shooting guard, but what is clear is that he can dole out buckets from either position. He’s a knockdown three-point shooter who was able to produce gaudy numbers while frequently facing double teams and defenses tailored to stop him from scoring.

That was a test to see if you were paying attention. Let’s see if you passed. The aforementioned paragraph was taken verbatim (save the substitution of Young’s name) from the previous slide featuring Olivier Hanlan. It just so happens that the analysis fits the bill of more than one player.

Unlike Hanlan, Young was on an Oregon team that included some semblance of talent and faced a less daunting schedule in the middling Pac-12. This allowed Young to carry his team to the NCAA Tournament with a string of impressive performances that was probably one of the college basketball season’s most underestimated storylines.

At the next level, Young is essentially without a position. At 6’2, he cannot have a NBA career as a shooting guard. However, nothing about his game lends to the idea of him being a point guard. Young only distributes the ball in one direction, and that is towards the basket.

Young’s NBA-level talent is that he happens to be a cold-blooded scorer, and if the Pacers can hide his physical deficiencies on the defensive end, they will pleased with the results he’ll provide on offense.