In what was widely considered a down lead guard draft coming into the NCAA season, Alabama's Collin Sexton and Oklahoma's Trae Young have quickly emerged as the clear-cut leaders of the 2018 point guard pack.
Young's Stephen Curry-esque deep pull-ups and Sexton's explosive downhill dashes to the rim have taken college basketball by storm through the first quarter of the season, infusing a level of enthusiasm among NBA scouts regarding this big-heavy draft class. Although this year's group still doesn't feature the point guard depth of last year's historically loaded crop, Sexton and Young are budding stars at the collegiate level with exciting, yet drastically different, skill sets and styles of play.
"Our games are totally different, besides the fact that we can both score," Young said before his 29-point, nine-assist game against USC in Staples Center. "I feel like (Collin) is a really good player, really good scorer. He's smart, he knows how to get fouled. He's more athletic. He's more downhill. I'm more skilled, I feel like. Just a different style of game. I'm more of a spread your offense. I feel like his game at the 3-point line isn't something that necessarily you're as keyed on as you are with me.
"We just have totally different games. I love his game. I love his competitiveness. We get into it all the time. Just debates when we were at [the McDonald's All-American game]. We're both just competitors. He shows it a lot more than I do, but I love Collin's game, and he's going to be a really good player."
Who are Collin Sexton and Trae Young, and how do they compare as point guard prospects?
Background
Trae Young
RSCI No. 21 recruit
Norman, Oklahoma, native. Grew up five minutes from Oklahoma's campus. Sooners ball boy during the Blake Griffin days. Has spent time training with Sooners legend Buddy Hield.
Lived in Portugal from ages 2 to 5. His father, a 5-11 point guard, played at Texas Tech, then for the Houston Rockets in the 2000 summer league and overseas for numerous years.
MVP of the 2016 Peach Jam. AAU teammates with Michael Porter Jr.
Jordan Brand Classic and McDonalds All-American participant
Quickly becoming a social media favorite for his deep pull-up 3s and free-flowing style of play
Studies Steve Nash
Collin Sexton
RSCI No. 7 recruit
Atlanta native. Has been playing since age 3. Father is an AAU coach.
Nicknamed "Young Bull" for his no-fear style of play (see: 3-on-5 game vs. Minnesota)
Doesn't have any social media accounts
Didn't receive all that much exposure on the national scene until later in his high school career after a monster season on the Nike EYBL circuit
2016 FIBA U17 World Championships MVP
Nike Hoop Summit, Jordan Brand Classic, McDonalds All-American participant
Studies Russell Westbrook and James Harden
The production
Young (8 games)
Per game: 28.8 points, 8.8 assists, 3.8 turnovers, 2.3 steals, 59.7 percent from 2, 37.7 percent from 3, 38.1 PER
Leads the NCAA in points per game
Third in the NCAA in assists per game
Sixth in the NCAA in usage
No player in the DraftExpress database (dating back to 2000) has averaged at least 28 points and 8 assists over the course of a college season
Pre-Oklahoma shot chart:
Sexton (9 games)
Per game: 21.8 points, 3.3 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 1.2 steals, 47.1 percent from 2, 47.1 percent from 3, 29.1 PER
Leads the SEC in points per game
Seventh in the NCAA in points per 40 minutes
Fifth in the NCAA in free throw attempts per 40 minutes
Pre-Alabama shot chart:
The physical profile
Young
6-2, 176 pounds and 6-4 wingspan (from 2016 at USA Basketball).
Average-framed shifty athlete who gets by on deception and change of speeds rather than sheer explosiveness. Good speed in the open floor. Skill finisher, not a dunker.
Similar measurements to Tyus Jones at the same age.
Trae Young drives and finishes the and-1 floater through contact.
Sexton
6-2, 185 pounds and 6-7 wingspan (2017 Alabama pro day).
Physical, explosive athlete in terms of burst and leaping ability. Blur in the open court. Can finish above the rim.
Similar measurements to Eric Bledsoe at the same age.
Collin Sexton races down the court and avoids the charge with a ferocious Eurostep move as Alabama trails by 76-74.
Playing style
Young: Skill-based guard
Extremely skilled point guard who sets up most of his game with his jump shot (66.4 percent of his shots are jumpers). Low release point but excellent rotation and overall touch. Was a bit streaky at times in the past (36 percent over 107 prep games, according to Krossover) but his sub-40 percentages are more a product of the type of shots he takes.
Main event between USC and Oklahoma up next. Trojans have their hands full with Trae Young, who is averaging 28.7 points and 3.6 made 3s per game. pic.twitter.com/G1bTNjnYf3
- Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) December 9, 2017
Has no problem pulling up from deep early in the clock. Plays with calm confidence. Impacts the game on or off the ball. Can sprint him off of screens -- 78.9 adjusted field goal percentage on 19 catch-and-shoot jumpers.
Uses his pull-up threat to get into the teeth of the defense. Has the ball on a string. Advanced ball handler who has a great feel for angles and timing. Splits ball screens fluidly.
Has floaters in the lane (8-of-12). Shooting 52 percent at the rim. Not an explosive leaper or overly physical but has a great knack for drawing fouls. Outsmarts his defender. Initiates contact. Shoots 11.2 free throws per 40 minutes. Although he's traditionally a very good finisher (57 percent on 2-pointers at the prep level), he'll have an adjustment to NBA length and athleticism in terms of creating separation and finishing in traffic.
Shoot-first mindset but can really facilitate when he chooses to. Doesn't need to get a piece of the paint to create a shot for someone else. Uses both hands. Creative passer. High IQ and strong overall feel for the game. Still improving as a floor general in terms of picking his spots. Lack of elite size limits him in a crowd at times.
Has good hands and feet but likely a one-position defender with his tools. Can still get stronger and play with more consistent grit on the defensive end.
Level of self-confidence you don't always see from a 19-year-old. Has the ultimate green light and plays with very little fear.
Trae Young dishes a bounce pass to Brady Manek and he rises for a two-handed jam.
Sexton: Explosive downhill driver
Highly-intense, brash scoring point guard who can get going from all three levels thanks to his physical gifts and improving skill level. Dynamic in the open floor. Described himself as a "combo guard who is always in attack mode" at the Under-17 World Championship training camp.
Slow-motion look at Collin Sexton's jumper. He's shooting 46.4% from 3. As focused as I've ever seen a college freshman pregame. Intense. pic.twitter.com/D0fr6FfSsd
- Mike Schmitz (@Mike_Schmitz) December 10, 2017
Drive-first mentality -- only 51.1 percent of his shots are jumpers, according to Synergy. Lives at the free throw line (13.6 attempts per 40 minutes). Doesn't need a ball screen to get into the paint. Plays at different speeds. Can finish through contact and over length with either hand but would benefit from adding more craft finishes and floaters (44.1 percent at the rim this season).
Scorer's mentality but a creative, flashy playmaker, especially in the open floor. Facilitates with either hand. Crisp no-look feeds. Still needs to improve his patience at times. Not the most advanced ball screen passer. Posted 2.1 assists to 2.9 turnovers per game in 54 prep contests, according to Krossover.
Improved shooter -- 34 percent from 3 at the prep level on 247 attempts, now up to 47.1 percent at Alabama. Gets good rise and rotation despite not having the most fluid mechanics.
Not a threat off the catch -- has taken only four catch-and-shoot jumpers all season.
Hard-nosed on-ball defender who will pick up 94 feet. Gets himself in foul trouble with over-activity at times. Length and makeup to be an elite on-ball defender of point guards.
Talks to himself in pregame and during live action. Pumps himself up like a prizefighter. Plays with a tremendous amount of energy and focus that you don't see from players his age. Unique mentality.
Collin Sexton drives from beyond the 3-point line and puts the moves on defenders for two points to tie the game for Alabama.
Outlook
Sexton remains the premier point guard prospect in the eyes of NBA scouts given his two-way impact and combination of tools, explosiveness and budding skill. Similarly to Dennis Smith Jr. before him, Sexton figures to be a nightmare cover in the pick-and-roll-heavy NBA with more space and shooters around. His mental approach is unique, and Sexton, who has been a top-10 caliber pick since our first 2018 mock draft, continues to win over executives with his no-nonsense game and toughness.
"I just play with a lot of passion and play with a lot of energy," Sexton said at the Nike Hoop Summit in April of 2016. "I just feel like every time I step on the court I have to show the world what I can do. I want to make sure that my family is good in a few years, so if that's going out here working hard, waking up early in the morning, I'm going to do it."
On the flip side, Young's unprecedented productivity, skill level, basketball IQ and confidence make him an extremely impressive prospect in his own right. In the pass-dribble-shoot era of basketball, Young is a perfect fit. He'll continue to face questions about his so-so size, defense and ability to play in traffic, but the numbers speak for themselves, and the success of a guy like Steph Curry will make scouts think twice about passing on Young because of physical limitations. The ultra-skilled Young will have a chance to prove that he belongs in the same tier as Sexton when the two go head-to-head in Birmingham on Jan. 27.
"I feel like I'm the best point guard in the country," Young said "I want to be the best. Not only the best point guard, but I want to be the best player in the country. This draft, you've obviously got Marvin Bagley and those type of guys, but I want to be the first point guard taken. I've worked so hard and have gotten myself to this point. If you put me on any team, I'm going to help the team win. That's what a team drafting early would want. Someone that comes in right away and helps their team win. No matter what it's going to take -- scoring, getting everybody involved. I'm just going to do whatever it takes to win."
Young and Sexton are vastly different styles of point guard prospects, but together they're great for college basketball, and they've already generated a great deal of optimism surrounding the 2018 draft.
We'll undoubtedly revisit the progress of both Sexton and Young as the season goes along, especially after their highly-anticipated matchup next month.
Will Sexton continue to shoot the ball at a 40-plus-percent clip? Can Young continue to generate as many foul calls as he has despite his so-so tools? In a draft overloaded with bigs, these two highly regarded gym rats with the hooper gene have been a breath of fresh air.