It won’t be long before we know whether Young and the Sooners can salvage what had promised to be a Cinderella-like season.
The 2017-2018 season looked promising for the Oklahoma Sooners. The season started out that way, too. On January 15th, OU was #4 in the nation. But Oklahoma has dropped ten of its last fourteen games to drop out of the Top 25 and contention for the Big 12 title.
Courtesy: SB Nation
During Oklahoma’s early tear, one player stood out: freshman guard Trae Young. During OU’s first 16 games, Young averaged 30.1 points and 10 assists a game while shooting 40% from three. He was the talk of the country, talk that was propelled by record-breaking numbers, like his 48-point, eight assist game against Oklahoma State.
Efforts like that put Young in the conversation for NCAA’s W9oden Award and upped his stock in the 2018 NBA Draft.
But the problem was–and is–that Trae Young IS OU’s offense. When he plays well, is usage rate is over a forty percent and the team win games. His only true sidekick is Christian James, who averages 12 points and four rebounds a game. Those twelve ppg’s are the highest on the team after Young. Only one other player–Brady Manek–is averaging more than eight points per game.
Those stats seem to show that Young is essentially carrying his team, each and every night. But is he?
Some fans and analysts believe that Young is a stat stuffer. They believe the only reason he puts up numbers is to pump up his NBA draft stock by hogging the ball and shooting a lot. And the numbers suggest just that: he’s 5-19, 7-21, 3-13, 7-10, and 7-20 over the past five games.
But do I believe that Young is primarily responsible for OU’s collapse? To some extent, yes. But the explanation is complex.
Teams have figured out how to guard Young. The use of constant frontcourt pressure and running over screens has limited Young’s efficiency and he is becoming more fatigued as a result. Because he hasn’t adjusted to opponents’ game plans, analysts are speculating about whether Young is still the high-level NBA prospect he was earlier in the season.
OU snapped out if its slump last night with an 81-60 home win against Iowa State. Young got help in that win (he wasn’t even the leading scorer) as two other starters scored in double figures. But the stark reality is that time is running out for Young and the Sooners.
OU finished the regular season at 18-12 and 8-10 in the Big 12. An NCAA bid is questionable (OU stands at #37 RPI as of March 1) unless the Sooners perform well in next week’s Big 12 tournament.
Young needs to pick up his efficiency in shooting the ball. He also needs teammates to step up.
It won’t be long before we know whether Young and the Sooners can salvage what had promised to be a Cinderella-like season.
