Is Trae Young still the best point guard in this year’s class? Photo by Kevin Jairaj/USA Today Sports

Every basketball team needs a player who can initiate offense, a player who can not only create shots for himself but for his teammates as well. Having a lead guard/point guard (however you choose to define it) who can do this is often the key to having a successful offense, and this year’s class has a lot of guys with plenty of upside, but is also full of question marks and just general uncertainty.

Trae Young, Oklahoma

The consensus top point guard at this point is Trae Young from Oklahoma, who set the college basketball world on fire earlier this year before hitting a bit of a slump recently. This doesn’t mean he isn’t a phenomenal prospect, as you have to look at why his shooting has dropped off so dramatically. First of all, if you watch Oklahoma play it becomes very clear that Trae Young is the only thing keeping that offense going. They don’t have another player who can consistently create offense or even just handle the ball for very long, as they’ve surrounded Trae with guys who are pretty much just role players.

So, despite the shooting slump he’s been in recently, I still believe in Trae Young quite a bit, as he is a phenomenal passer:

It’s rare to find a player like Trae Young, who is an elite shooter off the dribble but also has such tremendous court vision that it helps you tolerate him taking a deep contested 3 or trying to make a flashy pass that ends up going the other way. That’s one of the biggest concerns with Trae, he gets caught trying to do too much likely because of the lack of talent around him, and he ends up making a bad play sometimes. I also need to see him try and finish against bigger, longer defenders to feel comfortable about his game inside the arc but I think overall Trae is such a unique talent with the potential to be a dynamic offensive weapon that he is clearly the top PG in this year’s class and absolutely worth taking in the top 5 this year.

Collin Sexton, Alabama

The other top PG in this year’s class is Collin Sexton from Alabama. If you’ve watched Sexton play at all, you know just how competitive he is and how fearless he is. He’s exciting to watch when he’s playing well and his attitude is infectious.

As far as his actual skillset, I love Sexton as a ball handler and I think he shouldn’t have much problem getting to the rim. I wish he was more explosive so I would feel more confident in him finishing against NBA level defenders but I think for the most part he should be fine. His court vision is inconsistent as he isn’t the best at creating plays for others, he’s truly a score first guard. In order for Sexton to make it as a high level NBA starter he needs to work on his jumpshot, if you aren’t a threat from the outside in this NBA you become so much easier to defend even if you can get to the rim very well. Defensively I think he should be fine, he’s not overly big but has good enough size and definitely competes at the point of attack. Overall I think Sexton is worth drafting in the lottery because even with his weaknesses he’s a guy you should bet on working his ass off to become the best player he can be.

Elie Okobo, France

In a weak PG class, remember Elie Okobo’s name as a potential riser. Photo by Nicolas Sabathier

After those two, it becomes a bit of a crapshoot as far as who the next best PG in the class is. There are a lot of combo guards like Shai Gilgeous-Alexander or Landry Shamet worth keeping an eye on but I think one guy who should get some more love is Elie Okobo out of France. If you want a more in-depth look at Okobo you can read this piece by Jackson Hoy over at The Stepien, as I’m going to give a more brief summary of his game.

Okobo currently plays in France’s top professional league and has been playing there since 2015. He’s currently 20 years old and is playing 26 minutes/game while averaging over 20 points per 40 minutes and shooting 38% from 3 on 5 attempts/game. His shooting is probably his best skill at this point in his career, as he can shoot of the dribble very well and very quickly. Physically he looks like an NBA point guard at 6’3 with good length and a strong frame, so give him some time and he could become a solid defender in the NBA. As a passer is where he needs work though, as he struggles with turnovers and just overall decision making sometimes. It’s clear that there is a lot of talent in Okobo, but he needs to work on being a more consistently disruptive defender and being a better decision maker as a passer to maximize his NBA potential.

Jalen Brunson, Villanova

Another point guard to watch is Jalen Brunson, who is an efficient monster. Brunson is incredibly smart and able to score in a lot of different ways, from pull up 3’s to post ups. He is definitely a limited athlete and if you like him a lot you probably won’t want to look at what his combine numbers are likely to be. But even with a lack of elite athleticism and upside Brunson is a very safe option, I think it’s difficult to see him failing as a backup PG. Take Jalen Brunson in the early 20’s and let him run your second unit for 10 years.

Jevon Carter, West Virginia

Another upperclassmen to get familiar with if you haven’t yet is Jevon Carter, one of the best defenders college basketball has seen in the past decade. He’s incredibly strong and generates turnovers very well. On offense, you don’t see Carter make a lot of advanced reads or flashy passes but he’s a good shooter and good enough ball handler that he should be fine in a limited role. Like stated before, though, Carter is going to make his money as a defender who gets in the heads of opposing PGs and just makes their lives hell. Like Brunson, I think you take Carter somewhere in the 20s and he can play valuable minutes in the playoffs.

Names to Keep an Eye On

He may not be the most traditional PG, but Markus Howard can shoot with the best of them. Photo by Jeff Hanisch/USA Today Sports

The rest of this point guard class ultimately will depend on who does/doesn’t declare. Trevon Duval is incredibly divisive due to his lack of shooting but flashes of distributing ability and terrific physical package. It just remains to be seen how highly NBA teams value him. Shamorie Ponds is on a tear right now, being consistently efficient is his biggest question mark. Markus Howard is an elite shooter, but what else can he provide given his lack of size even for a PG? Aaron Holiday is a nice scoring guard as well. And then what do you make of guys like Bruce Brown, who hasn’t improved from his freshman year and is hurt, Anfernee Simons, who’s playing against HS kids, and De’Anthony Melton, who hasn’t played this year?

All-in-all, it’s an interesting group of PGs that all seem to have the potential to become major difference makers but seem to lack a lot of certainty.

Here’s my twitter where you can read my thoughts.

Here’s my medium profile where you can read my more coherent thoughts.