Prospects discussed include Thaddeus Young, Josh McRoberts, Reyshawn Terry and DJ White.
Part One (Stock Up)
Part Two (Stock Neutral)
Stock Down
Thaddeus Young, 68, SG/SF, Freshman, Georgia Tech
3 games: 12.3 PPG, 6 RPG, 3.3 TOPG, 13-32 FG (41%), 2-6 3P (33%), 9-13 FT (69%)
Joseph Treutlein
Thaddeus Young had a bit of a disappointing first national showing at the college level participating in the Maui Invitational. He made a solid contribution to the Georgia Tech effort, but didnt look like quite the same athlete we saw explode in the Jordan All-American Classic this summer. Hes not showing nearly the same explosiveness with his first step off the dribble, and after he was temporarily pulled out of the first game against Purdue with knee troubles, it was reported that he is struggling with tendonitis.
Young looked like he was having some troubles adapting to the college game, looking as if hes yet to find his niche on his new team. He clearly has not stepped into the go-to role yet as many expected him to, but things could change as he becomes more comfortable. Young was getting his shot attempts in a variety of ways; he was posting up, getting offensive rebounds, taking defenders off the dribble, and shooting outside jumpers. He looked most comfortable posting up and attacking the boards, mainly because his outside shot wasnt falling and his dribble-drive game was not very effective due to his lack of explosiveness. Youngs build definitely projects him as a swingman at the next level, and he himself has said thats what hes building his game to be, but he may continue to do most of his scoring inside until he adjusts the rest of his game.
Young had some turnovers troubles and made some bad decisions over the course of the tournament, occasionally pulling up for contested outside jumpers he had trouble consistently knocking down. He has good form on his shot, but he needs to pick his spots better, focusing more on keeping his feet underneath him, not shooting with a hand in his face, and maintaining proper balance during his shot. On his dribble-drive game, Young has a tendency to not protect the ball well, leaving him prone to getting the ball poked away, which further magnified some of his struggles creating high-percentage shots taking defenders off the dribble.
For all of Youngs troubles, he still had a pretty good showing, and definitely did some good things. He did have some good scores in the lane, got to the free-throw line, attacked the glass, and did a good job using various combinations of fakes and spins to score in the post. He also did a good job running the floor and scoring in transition.
As Young becomes more acclimated to the college game and his teammates get a better feel for where hes most comfortable with the ball, he should start having more consistent performances and hopefully coming into the role of go-to scorer. One just has to hope that his explosiveness and athleticism return to the levels they were at in the summer, as much of his game is predicated around those abilities. It will be interesting to see how Young continues to adapt to the college game, and if his explosiveness returns.
Young looked like he was having some troubles adapting to the college game, looking as if hes yet to find his niche on his new team. He clearly has not stepped into the go-to role yet as many expected him to, but things could change as he becomes more comfortable. Young was getting his shot attempts in a variety of ways; he was posting up, getting offensive rebounds, taking defenders off the dribble, and shooting outside jumpers. He looked most comfortable posting up and attacking the boards, mainly because his outside shot wasnt falling and his dribble-drive game was not very effective due to his lack of explosiveness. Youngs build definitely projects him as a swingman at the next level, and he himself has said thats what hes building his game to be, but he may continue to do most of his scoring inside until he adjusts the rest of his game.
Young had some turnovers troubles and made some bad decisions over the course of the tournament, occasionally pulling up for contested outside jumpers he had trouble consistently knocking down. He has good form on his shot, but he needs to pick his spots better, focusing more on keeping his feet underneath him, not shooting with a hand in his face, and maintaining proper balance during his shot. On his dribble-drive game, Young has a tendency to not protect the ball well, leaving him prone to getting the ball poked away, which further magnified some of his struggles creating high-percentage shots taking defenders off the dribble.
For all of Youngs troubles, he still had a pretty good showing, and definitely did some good things. He did have some good scores in the lane, got to the free-throw line, attacked the glass, and did a good job using various combinations of fakes and spins to score in the post. He also did a good job running the floor and scoring in transition.
As Young becomes more acclimated to the college game and his teammates get a better feel for where hes most comfortable with the ball, he should start having more consistent performances and hopefully coming into the role of go-to scorer. One just has to hope that his explosiveness and athleticism return to the levels they were at in the summer, as much of his game is predicated around those abilities. It will be interesting to see how Young continues to adapt to the college game, and if his explosiveness returns.