Joseph Young

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Pacers Second Round Draft History

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2015 Pacers Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster

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Superficially, it made little sense. The Pacers are supposed to be in this transition toward a smaller, faster team, so who do they take with the 11th pick in the NBA draft?

A muscular 6-11 guy with a "fantastic body" who supposedly doesn't run the court well.

Don't worry, Frank Vogel and Larry Bird said.

"There's two types of ways to play small," the Pacers' coach said after University of Texas center Myles Turner was added to an in-flux roster Thursday evening. "You can play small at the four or play small at the five. I don't envision us playing center-less basketball.

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers Draft Myles Turner »

"Playing fast is also about trying to play with more space. If you can have a rim-protector like him who can shoot with range, he'll contribute to what we're trying to do on the offensive end."

The Pacers drafted Oregon guard Joseph Young with their second-round pick.

Bird said he liked Indianapolis product Trey Lyles, and considered drafting him, but with Paul George likely to play more power forward next season – which would be Lyles' position – he wanted to go with a bigger player who can play center, at least some of the time. The Pacers' final four choices appear to have come down to four "bigs:" Frank Kaminsky, Willie Caulie-Stein, Turner and Lyles. Kaminsky and Caulie-Stein were gone by the time the Pacers got their turn.

2015-16 SEASON TICKETS: Register for Next Season »

"We loved Trey Lyles," Bird said. "That was a guy we were very, very high on. But just knowing Paul's going to play a lot of four, Turner was our guy."

Turner was rated a top ten prospect in his high school class, as high as No. 2 by ESPN, but averaged "just" 10.1 points at Texas in his only college season. He led the conference in blocked shots (2.6) and showed NBA 3-point range, although his accuracy was spotty. He's regarded as a solid mid-range shooter who can play a forward position as well as center, and is as capable defensively as offensively.

"His ability to protect the rim is off the charts," Bird said.

2015 PACERS DRAFT GEAR: Now Available Online »

Vogel praised him for his character, work ethic, IQ and body – pretty much the standard analysis of a just-drafted player, although it's a consensus opinion of Turner. One thing that stood out about Turner above all other draft candidates in his workout with the Pacers, though, was his level of engagement. He asked questions – "good questions, too"  according to Vogel – during and after the session. He's also engaging with reporters. In a conference call Thursday evening, he even apologized for saying "um" a few times.

The primary knock against him has been his running form and speed, which is a bit of a strange concern about a 19-year-old 7-footer who's still growing into his body. Turner was described as "lumbering" up and down the floor at Texas, and the concerns mounted to the point his agent felt the need to address them by having Turner go to a New York hospital and be examined. No structural issues were found, and  Turner was put on a workout schedule to strengthen his glutes, hips and core muscles.

A 27-page report was issued to every NBA team to tamp down concerns. Bird said he has none about Turner's mobility or ability to run the court.

"That's no problem at all," he said. "His running is fine. He's been working hard on it. He just turned 19 years old."

"We talked to our training staff, they've examined it, and he's doing some things to change his running style," Vogel said.

Turner, who has a 7-foot-4 wingspan, is far from a finished product physically, but has a good foundation to begin an NBA career. He at least looks far more ready for league warfare than most 19-year-olds. Vogel praised his body five times in his comments with the media.

Turner isn't likely to get major minutes as a rookie, regardless of how the rest of the roster shakes down, but will be counted upon to play some as a rookie and become a starter in two or three years. He's a late-bloomer who didn't begin taking basketball seriously until his sophomore year of high school. That, combined with his age, leaves plenty of room for growth.

"Obviously he's going to take some time," Vogel said. "We feel his upside is two years or three years from now. But we do feel he can contribute this year with the way we want to play."

"Just watching his growth in the last nine months is pretty impressive," Bird added. "Around All-Star break (next season) we think he'll be a lot better than he is now."

Young, a 6-2 combo guard, also should fit the plan to play faster. He was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Year and averaged a league-best 20.7 points last season. He scored 30 in his final game against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament.

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers Draft Joseph Young »

He's athletic and shoots well – .925 from the foul line last season – but dropped to the second round because of his size and lack of point guard experience.

"He's going to push the ball and make shots," Bird said. "We liked Joe all year. We were pretty surprised he'd be there.

"Hopefully we can get the ball up and down the court a little faster."

Second-round picks are never locks to make an NBA team, but Young appears to have a better chance than most. The Pacers have just one point guard under contract next season, George Hill.

"I like him; I really like him," Bird said. "I think he's got a good opportunity to make our team."

Despite media reports that David West will opt out of his contract and Roy Hibbert will opt in and play another season for the Pacers, Bird said he has received no indication from either player or his representation.

"I don't know what they're going to do," he said. "It's their decision and they'll make that decision."

The deadline for an announcement is June 29.

Vogel said Paul George is claiming to be 100 percent physically and "looks really good." George is working out in Los Angeles this summer, but was at The Fieldhouse last week and worked out for the Pacers' coaches.

"He's looked really good in individual workouts," Vogel said.

"He still has a long way to go, but he's looking really good right now."

Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Pacers Add Turner, Young in 2015 Draft

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Pacers Select Joseph Young

Wheat Hotchkiss

In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers drafted Myles Turner out of the University of Texas with the 11th overall pick. They later selected Joseph Young from Oregon with the 43rd overall pick. Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss kept a running log on this page throughout the night, keeping Pacers fans informed as the night unfolded.

OFFICIAL RELEASE: Pacers Draft Turner and Young »

MONTIETH: Pacers Add Frontcourt, Point Guard Depth »

DRAFT CENTRAL: Prospect Bios, Video Interviews, and More »

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Reactions to Pacers' Draft »

12:20 AM: That's a wrap from The Fieldhouse. We're posting the last couple videos to the site right now. Thanks for joining us!

Be sure to come back tomorrow afternoon to watch Myles Turner's introductory press conference, which we'll stream live on Pacers.com at 1:00 PM. We also will have a live Twitter Q-and-A with Turner streaming live sometime tomorrow afternoon...stay tuned for more details.

11:50 PM: Bird said that he thinks Young "has a good chance" to make the 2015-16 roster. Second round picks do not have guaranteed contracts, but the Pacers have had success in the second round (most recently with Lance Stephenson).

11:46 PM: Bird says Turner can play both power forward and center. The team knows he's young, but think he can grow into a major role. Bird says he thinks it will take "three or four years" for Turner to reach his potential, but "we think the sky's the limit."

Bird also reiterated that Paul George will play a lot at power forward next season.

11:44 PM: Larry Bird talking now. His comment on Joseph Young: "Joe's going to push the ball and make shots. We've liked him all year."

Bird said Pacers were surprised Young was still on the board at #43.

11:38 PM: OFFICIAL - The Pacers drafted Oregon combo guard Joseph Young with 43rd overall pick. Young, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, averaged 20.7 points per game as a senior for the Ducks.

Young was one of the players at the first pre-draft workout the Pacers hosted. Watch His Pre-Draft Interview »

11:35 PM: The Pacers are back on the clock. Several players who worked out in Indiana have gone recently: Rakeem Christmas, Richaun Holmes, Darrun Hilliard, Pat Connaughton, and Olivier Hanlon.

11:20 PM: A couple more players who worked out with the Pacers are off the board at picks 33 and 34. LSU shot-blocker Jordan Mickey goes to Boston, while the Lakers take Stanford sharpshooter Anthony Brown.

11:05 PM: The second round is now underway and things should move a little quicker now. With Turner on board, do the Pacers look for a guard with the 43rd pick? Or do they continue to stockpile depth in the frontcourt?

We'll find out the answer in roughly a half hour.

10:42 PM: Turner is on the phone with the media now. A couple things he's said:

He's always played in the post, but he credits his dad for always staying on him to keep working on his shot.

Turner was very impressed with Pacers head coach Frank Vogel taking an active role in his pre-draft workout.

He said he doesn't compare himself to any current player, but tries to take bits and pieces from various player's game, including Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Anthony Davis.

Turner feels most comfortable on the defensive end with his length and athleticism.

10:30 PM: Several players who came into The Fieldhouse for pre-draft workouts are now off the board: Trey Lyles, Cameron Payne, Kelly Oubre, Terry Rozier, Rashad Vaughn, Jerian Grant, Delon Wright, and Bobby Portis have all been picked. The 25th pick was just announced, so still 18 more selections before the Pacers draft again.

10:15 PM: Uploading a new video of Turner in the hallway at Barclays Center shortly after being drafted.

"Indiana is basketball country," Turner said. "I'm just very excited to be part of the organization."

On if he expected to be drafted by the Pacers: "(After) my workout, I had a good showing. They expressed some interest, but I had no idea who else they were considering."

10:00 PM: Apologies for the lack of updates. As you can see, we now have videos from tonight in the player above, with more to come. Turner should call in to talk to the Indiana media at some point shortly.

9:36 PM: Even though he's just 19, Vogel says Turner "has an NBA body." His wingspan was measured at 7-4 at the NBA Draft Combine and he has a standing reach of 9-4.

9:33 PM: Vogel is speaking with media now. Apologies about our difficulties with live stream, it seems to finally be working. We'll have full video of Vogel's comments up on Pacers.com in the next half hour or so.

9:28 PM: I just talked with Pacers head coach Frank about the pick (video will be up shortly). Vogel said he feels like Turner can both contribute early and also grow tremendously in his first few years in league. He said he believes Turner is a perfect fit for the Pacers' much-ballyhooed faster system next season, particularly with his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting.

Perhaps more than anything, Vogel played up Turner's character. Called him a perfect fit for Indiana's culture and locker room. Loved his eagerness to learn during his pre-draft workout.

9:18 PM: Here's a special greeting to Pacers fans from Turner himself (video courtesy of Jeff Tzucker, our Digital leader on the ground in Brooklyn):

9:10 PM: We're waiting for an interview with someone from the Pacers Draft Room. In the meantime, here are more Turner quotes from his workout:

On what he wanted to show the Pacers: "(I wanted to) show them that I've improved my transition game. I know that's one thing the Pacers are trying to do, get up and down a bit more, change their style of play."

On what he could bring to Indiana: "They’re just looking for some offensive versatility and I think I bring that to the table. Just my ability to shoot the ball from the outside, put the ball on the floor, and post up, I think that could help."

On posting up at the next level in addition to shooting the ball from outside: "That’s where my money’s going to be made at the next level. I know that for a fact. I’m comfortable down on the block. It’s something that I’ve shown more."

9:00 PM: Here's what Turner had to say about his potential when he worked out in Indy: "I think I'll become a great player. It's what I think of about every day, every night before I go to bed, you have to think about what you can be. I envision myself having success at this level. But it's not going to come without hard work."

Read More in Mark Montieth's story on Turner's workout. Read More »

8:48 PM: OFFICIAL — The Pacers have drafted Texas center Myles Turner with the 11th overall pick. Turner, a 6-11 big man, went pro after one season with the Longhorns, where he averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He's got a huge wingspan and figures to be a defensive force on the interior, but also has a really nice-looking shot for a player his size with potential to step out beyond the 3-point arc.

Here is my interview with Turner from his pre-draft workout: Watch Turner Interview »

8:42 PM: The Pacers are officially on the clock, as Miami takes Winslow with the 10th pick. It's time, folks.

8:37 PM: Frank Kaminsky is the first player who worked out for the Pacers to come off the board. The Hornets grab the National Player of the Year with the ninth overall pick. If you're still curious, here's our interview with Kaminsky: Watch Now »

8:30 PM: We're getting close! Mudiay goes seventh to Denver and Arizona wing Stanley Johnson goes eighth to Detroit. Duke's Justise Winslow surprisingly still on the board, as is everyone the Pacers brought in for a workout.

8:16 PM: Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein didn't work out for Indiana, but plenty of mock drafts had the Pacers taking him with the 11th pick. That's not happening, as Sacramento takes Mr. "Trill" at #6.

8:10 PM: A couple international players off the board at 4 and 5, with Kristaps Porzingis headed to New York and Mario Hezonja bound for Orlando. Point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is the surprise player to fall out of the top five.

7:54 PM: The "five minutes" between picks is lasting a little longer than five minutes. Philly takes Duke's Jahlil Okafor third overall. The Knicks are now on the clock, which is always an adventure.

7:45 PM: Mild surprise as the Lakers take Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell with the second pick. The draft has truly begun. It will be a few more picks before we see anyone who worked out for the Pacers come off the board.

7:38 PM: As expected, Minnesota takes Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns with the top overall pick. We're looking at 40-50 minutes before the Pacers' pick is announced.

7:10 PM: The Pacers brass is ready to go! Check out this photo from inside the Draft Room:

6:15 PM: We're less than an hour away. What kind of player can you typically expect at #11? Take a look at every 11th pick since 1980. 11th Picks Gallery »

5:30 PM: One important note for tonight's coverage — as team employees, the NBA will not allow us to comment on any reported trades until they are officially announced by the Commissioner. That mandate applies to everything posted on Pacers.com and the team's social media accounts. We won't report any trade until it is official.

5:10 PM: While you're anxiously awaiting Commissioner Silver stepping to the podium for the first time, be sure to check out our Draft Central page, which includes one-on-one video interviews with each of the 36 prospects who participated in a pre-draft workout at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

I have to say I was most impressed with the prospects who I spoke to during the pre-draft process. There's a lot of humble and intelligent kids in this year's draft class.

4:45 PM: Hello and welcome to your hub for all things Pacers on Draft Night 2015. We've got a large crew of staff spread across the country to give you the most comprehensive coverage you can find on what promises to be a big night for the Indiana Pacers. Whether it's on the ground at the 2015 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, back at the franchise's draft headquarters at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, or up at the 2015 Draft Party at Latitude 360, we've got you covered.

I'll be updating this page as much as possible throughout the night. So be sure to save a tab on your browser for us while you're monitoring the ESPN broadcast and frantically refreshing your Twitter feed. I can't tell you what's going to happen tonight, but I'm definitely excited to find out.

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2015 Draft Night Recap

The Pacers hosted six prospects at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday for the first pre-draft workout open to the media. Head coach Frank Vogel and assistants Nate McMillan, Dan Burke, and Popeye Jones led the players through the workout, which featured agility drills and closed with some three-on-three work.

The Pacers still don't know where they're picking in the draft, which will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on June 25. The exact draft order will be determined tomorrow night at the NBA Draft Lottery. Indiana is currently slotted to have the 11th pick in the first round with a 2.9-percent chance of jumping into the top three. The Blue & Gold will also have either the 42nd or 43rd overall selection in the second round.

PHOTO GALLERY: Monday's Pre-Draft Workout »

Monday's workout featured four talented scoring guards and a pair of athletic big men, all ranked among the top 55 prospects in the latest mock draft from Draft Express. Murray State's Cameron Payne and Notre Dame's Jerian Grant, both point guards, are currently projected to go in the first round of the draft. Draft Express projects the other four players, guards Olivier Hanlon (Boston College) and Joseph Young (Oregon) and forwards Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse) and Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), to be picked in the second round.

I had the chance to interview all six prospects for Pacers.com (you can watch the interviews in the player above). Below are a few notes on each player.

Christmas had a breakout performance at last weekend's NBA Draft Combine in Chicago. He measured out at nearly 6-foot-10 in shoes with a frighteningly long 7-foot-5 wingspan. But Christmas really turned heads with his play on the court.

Christmas dominated in five-on-five games on Thursday, scoring 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and collecting six rebounds in 29 minutes of action. The next day, he tallied another 19 points and six boards in 26 minutes. Those two performances have sent his stock soaring.

"I was just out there having fun and playing my game," Christmas said. "I mean, it was a great experience. Not a lot of people get to go out there and play. So, I just went out there and everything was falling for me."

Christmas was a late bloomer at Syracuse. Though he played a significant role for the Orange as an energetic shot-blocker and rebounder in his first three years on campus, Christmas took on a much heavier scoring load as a senior. His scoring average rocketed from 5.8 points per game as a junior to 17.5 in his final year collegiate season.

An explosive athlete, Christmas has always had the raw talent to succeed at the next level. The consummate teammate, he was content to play a supporting role on loaded Syracuse teams that featured several players currently in the NBA (Michael Carter-Williams, Dion Waiters, Tyler Ennis, and Jerami Grant). But over the past year (and especially the past week), Christmas has shown that he's also comfortable in the spotlight.

It's been a whirlwind week for Grant. He traveled to Chicago last week for the combine, then headed back to South Bend yesterday to attend his Notre Dame graduation before heading back down to Indianapolis.

In Chicago, Grant measured out at a little over 6-foot-4 in shoes, good size for a pure point guard. Grant uses that size well on the offensive. He's an excellent passer and rarely turns the ball over. Over his career at Notre Dame, he showed great improvement at finishing around the basket (he shot 57-percent from inside the 3-point arc as a senior).

The biggest knock on Grant is his outside shot. He shot a pedestrian 31.6-percent from 3-point range last season, and is well aware that he needs to demonstrate an improved stroke at the next level, saying that's an area where he hopes to display "more consistency" over the next month.

"I think knocking down shots at a high clip is something that I’m definitely going to need to use in this league," Grant said.

Still, Grant's polished point guard skills have him currently projected as a mid-first round pick (ESPN.com's Chad Ford currently ranks Grant as the 17th-best prospect in the draft).

As he goes through this process, Grant can lean on several people in his inner circle who know what he's going through. Grant's father, Harvey, played 11 years in the NBA. His uncle, Horace, was in the league for 17 seasons. Jerian's younger brother, Jerami, just finished his rookie year with the Philadelphia 76ers. And at DeMatha Catholic High School just outside of D.C., Jerian Grant was high school teammates with former Indiana University All-American and current Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo, who he texts with "almost every day."

"He's just talking me through it, wishing me luck, telling me what to expect, and to really just go out there and compete and play as hard as you can and you know, that'll stand out," Grant said.

Jerian Grant faced a lot of great players over his career at Notre Dame, but he said the toughest player for him to guard was Olivier Hanlan. Hanlan, a 22-year-old Canadian combo guard, proved himself as an elite scorer in his three seasons at Boston College.

He averaged over 15 points and 34 minutes per game in all three years with the Eagles, boasting career-best averages of 19.5 points and 4.2 assists as a junior before electing to turn pro. Hanlan played primarily at the shooting guard position in his first two years at BC, but moved back to point guard (his natural position) as a junior after a coaching change.

"It was great having the ball a lot more and different reads, playing a lot off the ball screen, a lot of ball screen looks and making plays for my teammates," Hanlan said. "I really improved a lot when it came to that aspect of the game."

Hanlan can more than hold his own on the court, but he apparently made a lasting impression off the court on several teams at last week's combine. Just look at this tweet from venerated NBA scribe Adrian Wojnarowski:

"I was just being myself to be honest," Hanlan said of the interview process. "I had some great conversations with many different teams. Everybody's kind of stressed out at first, you're not used to meeting with NBA teams but I enjoyed it, I had good times, a lot of laughs."

Holmes was the most anonymous player at Monday's workout, largely a reflection of playing in the MAC as opposed to a high-major conference. But he's been making a significant impression on scouts over the past month.

The 6-foot-9 forward has attended both the draft combine and the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament (a pre-draft camp for the top college seniors in the country) in recent weeks. At both events, Holmes showcased an elite athleticism that should allow him to be at minimum a strong rebounding and shot-blocking specialist at the professional level.

If he wants to stick in the NBA, Holmes might want to demonstrate an added dimension to his game. One area where he has shown promise is with his shooting stroke. He took a little over one 3-pointer per game as a senior at Bowling Green and connected on 42 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc. Holmes is actively working to continue developing his shot to adapt to the longer NBA 3-point line.

"I definitely think that’s something I can do," Holmes said. "I have the capability to do that and I'm working on it as we speak to become that pick-and-pop guy spacing the floor."

Holmes had a mini-reunion of sorts on Monday with Pacers forward Shayne Whittington, who just finished his rookie year with Indiana. Holmes and Whittington had several memorable battles in the post when Whittington was at Western Michigan, another MAC school.

Whittington was at Bankers Life Fieldhouse during Monday's workout and took some time to catch up with his old college rival.

"Shayne is an incredible player," Holmes said. "Back at Western Michigan, I always enjoyed competing against him. So I'm glad he's doing well."

Payne is sky-rocketing up mock draft boards, jumping up to 11th (coincidentally where the Pacers are currently projected to pick) on Chad Ford's latest prospect rankings.

Pacers.com's Mark Montieth chronicled Payne's journey from receiving little attention coming out of high school to emerging as a media darling.

Whether he's a good fit for the Pacers on the court remains to be seen, but I can promise that no one in the local media will complain if Payne ends up in Indiana. The play-making point guard was a great quote with an outgoing personality, staying late for several one-on-one interviews.

"It's great to finally be noticed, but it just builds my confidence and makes me go harder," Payne said about all the attention he's receiving, before tacking on another sentence with a mix of sincerity and humor. "So I really appreciate everyone looking at me and starting to realize Cameron Payne is actually a good player."

Payne was also excited to get to interact with Pacers assistant Popeye Jones, who starred at Murray State from 1989-92. The two former Racers immediately bonded.

"He definitely was down here helping me on the defensive end and coaching me up," Payne said. "Murray State, we stay strong, so I really appreciate him being here and helping me out."

Young might have been the most gifted scorer at Monday's workout. The 6-foot-2 combo guard averaged 18 points per game or better in each of his final three collegiate seasons, and shot better than 41 percent from 3-point range as both a sophomore and a junior.

The biggest question mark surrounding Young is what position he can play at the next level. He played almost exclusively at shooting guard in college, both at Houston (where he spent two seasons before transferring) and Oregon. But Young is a little too small to play at the 2 at the next level, so he's hoping to show NBA teams that he's able to make the transition over to point guard.

"I’m versatile and a scorer," Young said. "(But also) I can distribute and be a good leader."

There's no better evidence of Young's leadership than what he did early in his senior year at Oregon. The Ducks got off to an up-and-down start, dropping three of their first eight games. So Young took it upon himself to organize early morning meetings with the freshmen on the Duck's roster.

For two straight weeks, Young met the freshmen every morning at 8:00 a.m. for what he called "Joe's Chalk Talk," where they went over plays and discussed what they needed to do to get better.

Those "Chalk Talks" paid off. The Ducks reached the NCAA Tournament and advanced to the second round, where they held their own against top-seeded Wisconsin (Young scored 30 points in the loss to the Badgers). Young was named Pac-12 Player of the Year.

But despite the accolades he's received, Young feels like he's still being underestimated by scouts who might dismiss him as too small or not a true point guard.

"I've been overlooked all my life and I just continue to work," Young said. "All it does is it fuels me as a person and it helps my character."

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Scoring Guards, Athletic Bigs On Display at Monday's Workout

indaholsclaw

Height: 6-2
Weight: 178
Position: SG
College: Oregon
Age: 22

PPG: 20.7
RPG: 4.4
APG: 3.8
BLK: 0.0
STL: 1.1

2013-14 | RS-JUNIOR SEASON
Second-team all-Pac-12 selection ... Pac-12 all-tournament selection ... With 643 points, provided Oregon’s fifth-best total for points in a season ... Also made 155 free throws, which ranked seventh best in Oregon history ... Led the team in scoring (643/18.9 points per game), minutes (1,059/31.1 per game), field goals made (206), 3-point field goals made (76), free throws made (155) and steals (44) ... Scored in double-figures in 30-of-34 games, led the team in scoring 18 times and scored 20-plus points in 14 games ... Finished as the Pac-12’s second-leading scorer, while ranking first in free throw percentage ... Led UO in scoring in both Pac-12 Tournament games, tallying 19 points against Oregon State and 29 against second-seeded UCLA without a single turnover ... Went 18-of-29 from the floor on the tournament ... Followed that with a strong NCAA Tournament performance with 19 points in the second round victory over BYU and 29 against Wisconsin ... Ranked first in the Pac-12 in free throw percentage (.881), making 155-of-176 on the season ... Made 86-of-91 FT (.945) attempts in Pac-12 play ... Ranked third in the Pac-12 in 3-point field goals made (76) and fifth in 3FG percentage (.415) ... Became the first UO newcomer to open with three straight 20-plus scoring efforts since Tajuan Porter (2006-07) ... Set a Matthew Knight Arena record, scoring a career-high 36 points against Western Carolina after making 15-of-16 free throw attempts ... Had four remarkable performances at the FT line, making 16-of-17 against California, 15-of-16 against Western Carolina, 12-of-12 against Georgetown and 10-of-10 against UCLA ... Scored a team-high 29 points against California ... Set another Matthew Knight Arena record with six steals against USC to go along with 21 points ... Scored a game-high 24 points in victory over Georgetown ... Netted 25 points in overtime win versus BYU ... Led Ducks with 24 points and four assists against Morgan State ... Scored a game-high 25 points against UCLA, making 6-of-11 from the floor and 10-of-10 from the free throw line ... After scoring 12 points against San Francisco, Young joined the 1,000 point club after just two seasons and four games as a junior ... Scored 29 points at Arizona State, all of which came in the second half, on 11-of-22 shooting ... His 11 field goals made ranked as a career-high ... Scored a game-high 25 points in a Civil War victory, shooting at a 8-of-15 mark with four boards and four assists ... Made 7-of-12 to score 18 points with two assists in victory over Washington on Feb. 20 ... Scored 16 points in the second half and 18 for the game in win over WSU on Feb. 24 ... Scored 26 points in double-overtime victory at UCLA, followed by 16 points against USC two days later.

BEFORE OREGON
An all-Conference USA and a USBWA all-District VII selection for Houston ... prolific scorer nearly reached 1,000 career points in just two seasons at Houston ... Averaged 14.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in 62 contests for the Cougars ... excellent shooter hit 44.0 percent from the field, 40.2 from three-point range and 86.6 from the free throw line ... As a sophomore (2012-13), led Houston and ranked second in the league at 18.0 points per game ... Topped team and placed third in the league with a 87.5 free throw percentage ... Ranked among the C-USA leaders in three-point field goals per game and three-point field goal percentage ... Scored 20 or more points during six consecutive games late in the season capped by a career best 32 points at Tulane (13-for-13 from the free throw line) ... Also recorded a season high nine assists against the Green Wave. Was a Conference USA all-Freshman selection in 2011-12 ... Led the Cougars and ranked among the Conference USA top-10 individual leaders in three-point field goal percentage (38.2) and three-point field goals made per game (1.8) ... Finished third on the team with 11.3 points per game ... redshirted his first year at Houston (2010-11).

HIGH SCHOOL
Lettered for head coach Greg Wise at Yates High School ... Parade All-America Third-Team selection as a senior in 2009-10) ... Texas Gatorade Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year ... Class 4A Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State Team member ... Averaged 27.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 3.8 assists per game to help lead the Lions to their second straight state championship ... Teamed with current Duck Damyean Dotson to lead team to a perfect 34-0 record and the No. 1 national ranking in final polls from USA Today, MaxPreps and Rivals.com ... Honored as the Most Valuable Player of the state championship game and the T-Mobile Invitational in Alabama ... Scored 43 points during the T-Mobile Invitational championship game, including 24 points in the final five minutes of the second quarter. Helped lead Lions to the first of back-to-back Class 4A state championships as a junior (2008-09).

PERSONAL
Born Joseph Michael Young in Houston, Texas ... Parents are Michael and Tina Young ... Father, Michael, ranks as the third-leading scorer in Houston history and is one of five players to have his jersey number retired by the school ... Major is sociology.

joseph-young-2015-draft-prospect

Joseph Young: 2015 Draft Prospect

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The Indiana Pacers will host six prospects for the 2015 NBA Draft at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Monday for pre-draft workouts.

The six players scheduled to participate in workouts are Rakeem Christmas (Syracuse), Jerian Grant (Notre Dame), Olivier Hanlan (Boston College), Richaun Holmes (Bowling Green), Cameron Payne (Murray State), Joseph Young (Oregon). Players are subject to change.

The 2015 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 25 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Pacers own two picks in this year's draft, one pick in both the first and second rounds (exact pick order will be determined at the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday, May 19).