Trae Young has a lot of potential and talent. Breaking out in his first tournament in a garbage game against Oregon, Young busted for 43 points and proved to be an electrifying offensive star. His assist totals went through the roof, and became the first player in Division I history to lead the nation in points per game and assists per game.
Last season proved that Oklahoma wasn’t a great school for Young to play at. The talent he had around him to work with was among the bottom in the nation. However, he put his team on his back and carried them to a tournament appearance. Young has potential galore, and could be a huge weapon on the next level. Here are the best fits for Trae Young.
NBA Draft: Trae Young potential fits
Orlando Magic
At the 6th overall pick in the NBA Draft, Young could find his settling spot here in Orlando. The Magic have struggled through many seasons now, with identity, scoring and consistency. After starting hot at the very beginning of the season, Orlando slumped and finished a measly 25-57. They fired head coach Frank Vogel and have hired former Charlotte Hornets head coach Steve Clifford to take his place. Budding star forward Aaron Gordon is most likely moving on to free agency, but the team still has a few pieces for Young to work around.
DJ Augustin is the other point guard that remains on the team, so Young would probably end up starting immediately upon landing in Orlando. Evan Fournier is a solid shooting guard, and could give the Magic a good offensive backcourt being paired with Young. Last years first round pick, Jonathan Isaac, and Nikola Vucevic would be good pieces for Young to work with as well.
There is still a lot of uncertainty around the Magic in 2018-19, but adding a piece like Trae Young could be the start of a new era of playoffs for the Magic.
Charlotte Hornets
Kemba Walker enters the final season of his contract with Charlotte before he wants a max contract, and the Hornets aren’t prepared to give him that much money. This may be a perfect time to find a replacement. Depth right now at point guard is slim, so adding Young would be a very good addition indeed.
In Charlotte, Young’s supporting cast would be weak, but he has potential with Dwight Howard playing center and Nicholas Batum playing the small forward. Add a free agent power forward to that mix, and the Hornets could be a formidable team in the Southeast.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers are sitting pretty with the 12th and 13th selections in the Draft, and have the ammo to move up if they would like. Patrick Beverly is on the final season of his contract, if the team decides to pick up his option. Los Angeles finds themselves coming off a busy season where they sent their star forward, Blake Griffin, to the Detroit Pistons, and missed the playoffs.
The team has good guards in Beverley, Lou Williams and Avery Bradley. Adding Young to the mix could be helpful toward the teams attempt to rise back into the playoff hunt. Williams and Beverley would remain in the starting roles, while Bradley and Young could play off of the bench and score against a lot of lesser competition. Playing with a guard like Bradley on the floor would certainly open the court for Young.
They have bigs too. Tobias Harris is a solid power forward, if not slightly undersized. If DeAndre Jordan returns on his player option, there’s a very good center that Young could pair his timely passing skills with on Alley-Oops. Beverley and Young sharing time could be a very unique arrangement. Beverley is one of the leagues best lockdown defenders, while Young is an explosive scorer. It could be a tandem that works very well.
Phoenix Suns
Trae Young and the Phoenix Suns could be a knockout punch in a couple of years. The young talent that Phoenix has assembled shows a ton of potential, and the thought of them growing up together is now a realistic expectation.
Phoenix has done everything to confirm that they will take center DeAndre Ayton with the number one pick. They have the Miami Heats pick at 16, where Young could potentially slide or Phoenix could potentially move up and snag. Think of Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, Marquisse Christ and Ayton all playing on a team with Young. That is a very scary lineup in just two seasons.
Last Word
I think Trae Young will have a wonderful career in the NBA. If he hits the max potential that he has, he could be the next Stephen Curry. At worst, he will be a good sixth man who can come off the bench and hit threes from limitless range. It will be fun to explore where his career will end up.
Main Image: Embed from Getty Images
