KU Basketball: Who Gets Left out of PG Musical Chairs?
By Kyle Abbott
Which of Duval and Young fits better at Kansas?
The short answer is it depends. Obviously, Young and Duval are much different players with different skillsets. The advantage to Duval is he’s a surefire lottery pick and the more talented of the bunch. He’s also more of a pure point guard, but the difference isn’t large. He’s the better defender as well, something Self values highly. However, Young has the more complete offensive game, and is far and away the better shooter.
Duval at Kansas
Duval has played with Kansas signee Billy Preston as well, and it’s a little informative about how he would fit at Kansas. The two would be a lethal pick and roll combination, with their combination of skill and athleticism. Though Young and Duval are very different players, Duval would fill the slashing role of Frank Mason, since he gets to the rim better than anyone in the class. His ability to collapse defenses would set up open looks for returning guards Lagerald Vick and Malik Newman. He would also be tasked with defending some of KU opponents’ best perimeter players, since he has the ability (though he hasn’t shown how good he can be yet) to really defend, and Newman may struggle some.
Young as a Jayhawk
Young would fill a similar role in that he’d be KU’s starting lead guard. His specialty would be the three-point shot, giving KU tremendous perimeter spacing. While a good driver in his own right, Young’s shooting ability would free up space for Newman and especially Vick to drive and get to the line. Young can do that as well, and is a tremendous free throw shooter. Last year in EYBL play, Young shot nearly 88% from the line. Defensively, KU could struggle. Neither Young or Newman is a great perimeter defender, and Preston hasn’t been good in that department yet either. The Jayhawks would rely on Vick, Garrett, and Azubuike to be the team’s best defenders.
Who should it be?
Overall, it seems Duval is the marginally better fit for the roster as constructed for next season. The team may have a higher ceiling due to its ability (on paper anyway) to win a slugfest with Duval at point guard. However, the gap is small. One more thing to keep in mind. Most feel that Young isn’t a surefire one-and-done prospect. With a weak 2018 class, Young immediately becomes the most important recruit to keep around for his sophomore campaign.