CLEVELAND, Ohio -- There has been little linking of Oklahoma's Trae Young to the Cavaliers, which might be considered surprising given the circumstances.

Young led the NCAA's Div. I in scoring and assists last season. As a 19-year-old freshman. At a power conference school. That's hard to do.

Though perhaps not right away, Young could be the dynamic scoring, floor spacing point guard for LeBron James, kind of like (though, again, not immediately) like the one James lost when Kyrie Irving was traded.

If James leaves as a free agent, Young was the marquee player in college last year. It's not apples to apples, but if you're about to lose the NBA's preeminent headliner, maybe you replace him from the young man who just held that role in college. Young could maybe sell tickets and generate a little buzz in a way no one else in Thursday's NBA Draft (7 p.m., ESPN) could.

Yet if the Cavs are preparing to make him the No. 8 pick -- either because the players they're more openly coveting are gone, or they truly like him -- they're keeping it a secret.

On Tuesday, ESPN draft analyst Jonathan Givony reported Young worked out privately for the Cavs over the weekend. The team would not confirm the workout which, assuming it did in fact take place, is a break from how the team has operated with its pre-draft workouts so far (the Cavs have typically confirmed them afterwards).

Source: Trae Young conducted a secret workout with the Cavs on Saturday. If Michael Porter is gone, it seems to be a toss-up at the moment between Young and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Cleveland at #8. We've given Shai the nod in our latest mock today: https://t.co/hpiDE2e70Y — Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 19, 2018

The organization hasn't been shy about its affinity for Missouri's Michael Porter Jr (on Tuesday cleveland.com reported the Cavs would likely take him if he's there at No. 8), or about Alabama point guard Collin Sexton -- who so excited Dan Gilbert at his workout that the team owner took to Twitter over him.

Cavs general manager Koby Altman flew to Young's games on at least two occasions last season, but he did so for several top prospects.

There are some questions attached to Young. Namely, his production dipped a little while the Sooners really hit the skids in the second half of the season. Thus, can the 27.4 points and 8.7 assists he averaged as a freshman translate in the NBA?

Secondly, just how large of a defensive liability will Young be, and are his expected struggles at that end worth what he would be able to do as far as putting the ball in the hole?

Young, out of Norman North High School, set the college game on fire while the Sooners rocketed to a 14-2 start. He produced four games of 40 or more points for the entire season, including a 43-point, 11-rebound, seven-assist stunner (with 10 3s) against Texas Christian on Jan. 18. Two games later, against Oklahoma State, he went for 48 points, but took 39 shots and the Sooners lost. He scored 44 at the end of the month in a win over Baylor.

At this point, Young was being compared to two-time NBA MVP Stephen Curry. He'd produced at least five 3s in seven of the Sooners' first 21 games.

Then, Oklahoma lost nine of its last 11 games and Young couldn't do anything to shake his school out of the funk. Opponents chose to defend him with multiple players, often at the same time, all over the court. He averaged 23 points and shot just 37 percent over those last 11 games, including 27 percent from 3-point range.

Oklahoma was bounced from the Big 12's conference tournament in one game and lost its NCAA tournament opener.

"You have to take Oklahoma's struggles toward the end of the season with a grain of salt, I think, especially in relation to Trae Young," said Mike Schmitz, an NBA draft analyst for ESPN. "I mean, teams were face guarding him almost 94 feet, and the level of talent around him was not great. We've seen it with Ben Simmons and with Markelle Fultz (both drafted by the Sixers, No. 1 overall, the last two seasons).

"Teams value winning, there's no doubt about that, but if they see a talent they're enamored with, they're not afraid to go get him if he didn't win in college.

"With that said, I do think some of his struggles in terms of efficiency, in terms of making winning plays consistently really dropped off toward the end of the season, and just the physical aspect of holding up over an 82-game season I think is certainly a question with him," Schmitz continued.

Young is listed at 6-2 and 180 pounds, but he's considered slight. He'll turn 20 in September. Several teams, according to one league source, have major concerns about him defensively, especially in the pick and roll.

First, there is the issue of getting over ball screens and sticking onto his man. Beyond that, there are the 1-3 and 1-4 screens, where Young might be switched onto a wing player in a gross mismatch of pure strength and physicality.

"In today's NBA, where the offense is basically a primary ball screen to get the switch you want, teams would go at him every single time," said one opposing college coach, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly about Young. "You look at Steph. He's older. He's smarter, more mature as a player. And he's filled out. And teams still go at him all the time."

Right, so, there are questions. If LeBron has them about Young, they're new.

Young attended James' summer skills camp since eighth grade, James once said. On multiple occasions last season, James spoke only glowingly of his former pupil.

In January, as Young was dominating the college game, James said: "I know what he's all about and what he's doing right now is very special. He's a very special player. Can add a lot to any team if he decides to come out and come into the draft."

And in February, when he was asked what adjustments Young might have to make if he were to leave Oklahoma for the NBA, James said: "How much money he's going to spend monthly and how much he's going to save monthly. That's the only adjustment he's got to worry about."