2014 NBA Draft Profile: Kentucky Wildcats SG/SF James Young

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I was fortunate enough to watch NBA draft prospect James Young perform at the high school level multiple times at Rochester High in Rochester Hills, Michigan. Young’s incredible talent helped the Falcons clinch their first ever regional championship in school history.

Coming out of high school, Young was ranked first in the state of Michigan by ESPN’s Recruiting Nation, ahead of University of Michigan’s Derrick Walton and Wes Clark of Missouri. Averaging 27.2 points, 16.0 rebounds and 5.7 assists his senior year, Young appeared in both the McDonald’s High School All-America and Jordan Brand Classic games after committing to John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats.

Young’s analysis on Recruiting Nation:

He is special because he contributes to his team even when he is not scoring which makes him even more valuable. For example he possesses a feel and vision for when to score and when to keep the ball moving. This is evident by how he passese the ball quickly and early when reading his defender and a defense. He has high level athletic ability and solid skill. Everyone loves those players that can just “go get you a bucket” and Mr. Young is one of those players.

After a very successful freshman campaign in Lexington, 18 year old Young is regarded as one of the top prospects coming into this year’s draft because of his offensive talent and ability to rebound the basketball. His 7-foot wingspan and 8-foot-8 reach gave him an advantage over smaller defenders, which allowed him to average 14.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Being part of one of the greatest recruiting classes in NCAA history, as well as appearing in the National Championship game, benefited Young in terms of the increased exposure. Reports have surfaced that the Boston Celtics are likely to use one of their lottery picks to bring in Young, who would fit into head coach Brad Stevens’ system right away.

Drafting Young to play alongside Rajon Rondo would help turnaround the Celtics organization in a hurry. It would allow the Celtics to regain their reputation of being a competitive and well respected franchise while trying to clinch a playoff berth next season.

Edward Santiago of Rant Sports compared the third youngest NBA prospect Young to Cleveland Cavaliers’ point guard Dion Waiters because of their ability to electrify the arena.

One NBA comparison to James Young is Dion Waiters. The way these two can get hot and fill it up on any given night is something to get excited about, but they also tend to be very inefficient while getting their points.

In order for Young to be considered one of the NBA’s elite players, he will have to improve his shooting efficiency. The 6-foot-6 shooting guard only shot 41 percent from the field and 35 percent from the three-point line. Young is also not a very good defender, which can be improved by relearning the fundamentals.

There’s no question that Young’s talent on the court makes him an intriguing player not only for the Celtics, but for every other franchise with a lottery pick. While Young may not have the same franchise player status as Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker and Andrew Wiggins, he’ll still make a giant impact for whoever selects him come draft night.

Zach Libby is an NBA columnist for Tru School Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ZachLibbyNBA