KU Basketball: Who Gets Left out of PG Musical Chairs?

Trae Young: #3 Point Guard, #19 Overall

What he brings

One word: scoring. The 6’2” Oklahoman can flat out score it from anywhere on the court. Young is a phenomenal shooter, with a lightning quick release and unlimited range. The nation saw that on national television when Young scored 28 points on 6-10 shooting from beyond the arc in the Peach Jam final against the PSA Cardinals team. It was terrific competition as well, with five four-star prospects or higher on the PSA squad, including Quade Green.

Young is an underrated driver as well, even with his small frame. He’s quick and crafty enough to score from many angles at the rim, and has added a nice floater to keep defenses honest. He’s a good, not great passer as of now. Hopefully he can master the entry pass soon, because Udoka Azubuike could use a great post feed. Young’s weaknesses are really from the neck down. He’s slight of build (around 175 pounds), and not incredibly quick for his size. As such, he may struggle a bit defending collegiate guards. Andrea Hudy could do wonders with Young if he stayed for multiple years.

Where will he land?

Young has made all of his official visits during the fall, to Kansas, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech. For most of his recruitment, most observers handicapped it as a three-horse race between Kansas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma. Young has very likely cooled on Kentucky after the Wildcats signed fellow five-star guard Quade Green. He will likely decide in January, after watching how each team performs on the court.

That leaves the hometown Sooners and Kansas as the remaining suitors for Young. OU has allure for sure. Head coach Lon Kruger can really coach and develop guards. Look no further than last year’s Oklahoma team. It also gives Young the chance to stay home and be the go-to scorer for the Sooners right off the bat. On the other hand, OU doesn’t have a great supporting cast to put around Young, at least not to the level of Kansas.

Kansas seemingly offers the best of both worlds for Young. Lawrence is within driving distance (a little under five hours) to his family’s home in Norman, so the Young’s could see Trae fairly often. Kansas is also one of the preeminent programs in college basketball, among the leaders in wins and titles. The consecutive conference title streak is another carrot for Young. Kansas will likely tie UCLA’s all-time consecutive conference title streak this season. It would be a badge of honor for Young, whose father played at Texas Tech, to be on the Kansas team that set the new mark.

At this point, it seems to be a tossup between KU and OU for the talented point guard. Last weekend, the entire Kansas staff traveled to Duncanville, Texas to watch a matchup between KU signee Marcus Garrett and Young. It’s safe to say Young is their main priority at this time.