Another day, another draft eligible is saying he’s the best player available. This time it’s Trae Young, the bumble-bee Oklahoma guard whose ability to score in bunches and from all over the floor will make him among the most attractive candidates.
Young led the country in scoring average and assists and created a sensation for much of his season with his shooting range and court awareness. Of course, there are questions about Young just like there are questions about every player in this draft. He’ll need to overcome his size issues and shot selection.
To listen to him, however, those concerns are minor. He spoke with Nick Friedell of ESPN and explained why:
“I think I’m the best overall player in this draft,” Young said. “My main focus isn’t necessarily to be the best player in this draft. My focus is to be the best player in the NBA. That’s what I’m focusing on each and every day.”
Young said he has enjoyed all the comparisons to Golden State superstar Stephen Curry that fans and media members have, but he is focusing on creating his own name in the league.
“I love the comparisons,” Young said. “He’s a two-time MVP and a champion. I love the comparison but I feel like I bring a lot of different things from different players, different players’ games to the table. I’m just trying to be the best version of Trae Young. That’s all that matters to me. I’m just getting started in this thing. Hopefully I can achieve some of those things.”
“I’m excited about having the opportunity to show people that I can play defense.” Young said. “I’m actually super excited to show that from day one.”
