As a huge draft fan I find myself often wondering the best way to describe/project a prospect. So draft writers/sites focus mostly on player comps, others on basic stats, and others on analytics. I personally think the normal Ayton reminds me of Ewing and Young is Steph Curry player comps leave way to much grey area. Stats can lie because of a players role or team style. The analytics are great but also difficult for the casual fan to consistently work with.
I am going to take a stab at my own rudimentary format and use it on a few prospects this year to see how it plays out. As the draft gets closer I will create a separate post to list out and tier rank a bunch of guys but this post will serve as my test.
1. Closest physical comp
2. projected role
3. Clear NBA Skills
4. Holes coming into NBA
5. Player Comp projections
They idea is to create a 1-6 scale of players who have similar physical skills and fill the same potential role in the NBA. 1 being a fringe NBA player, 2 a lower end nightly rotational player, 3 high end rotational player/occasional starter, 4 solid starter, 5 fridge all star and 6 perennial all-star.
Player
Trae Young
1. Closest physical comp: Seth Curry
2. Projected role: Scoring Lead Guard
3. Clear NBA Skills: creating space for shot, court vision, shooting at all levels
4. Holes coming into NBA: lack of strength and length, ability to defend starting caliber point guards
5. Player Comp projections
1. Jimmer Fredette
2. Seth Curry
3. JJ Barea
4. Jason Terry
5. CJ McCollum
6. Steph Curry
I would place Trae Young as a 4.5. I believe his offensive skill set will translate as long as the team drafting him hands him over the reins to the team. Given that he is likely to be drafted in the top 7 this should not be a problem. Coaching and engagement on defense will likely be the deciding factor in how good a pro Young can be.
Ideal draft night fit: figuring he goes top 8 and looking at the standings as of 2/16 I would say the post Lebron Cavs would be a great fit, as would the Magic, and the Suns. The Suns would be able to create a similar dynamic to GS if they can pair and develop Young and Booker.