Former Oregon Ducks basketball guard Joseph Young might be the biggest anomaly going into the 2015 NBA Draft.
On one hand, you have an instant-offense, 20-point career scorer at Oregon who led the Ducks to two NCAA tournament appearances. On the other, you have an undersized two-guard, at six-foot-two, who was sometimes criticized for not distributing the ball often enough. Unfortunately for Young, the latter is more likely to determine his draft fate. His offensive potential is first-round worthy, but his size may keep him waiting into the second round.
With the exception of a few, most draft experts project Young as a mid-second round pick. The projection appears to be a slight to the Pac-12 player of the year. There is concern that some of Young’s attributes won’t translate well to the NBA.
It starts with his lack of size. Young measured 6-foot-2 without shoes at the NBA Draft Combine. In his two years with the Ducks, Young played with a score-first mentality, as he was often the most threatening scorer on the floor.
Oregon head coach Dana Altman gave Young more opportunities this past season to be the team’s primary ball-handler. Young showed stretches of promise as a point guard, but overall, he remained an inconsistent distributor, averaging 3.7 assists per game. He’s a shooting guard trapped in a point guard’s body.
Defense remains another question mark for Young. If a team were to plug in Young as a scoring guard off the bench, he would either have to guard a bigger shooting guard or match up with the opposing point guard and probably assume ball-handling duties on offense.
This isn’t to say that Young is destined for failure in the pros. Teams will have to carefully consider what Young’s role will be. As a result, Young’s draft position likely won’t reflect his college accomplishments and accolades.
Despite his lack of size and defensive shortcomings, however, some teams reportedly value Young’s offensive upside enough to select him late in the first round, according to ESPN NBA Insider Chad Ford. Ford reports that Young’s lack of team workouts since the combine suggests a team in the late first round promised Young they would pick him if he’s still available. Ford’s latest mock draft projected Young as the last pick in the first round, going to the recently-crowned NBA champion, Golden State Warriors:

With the 30th pick, the Warriors select Joseph Young, Oregon #FordBilasMock
— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider) June 23, 2015

Other mock drafts haven’t been so kind. CBS Sports projects Young as the 42nd pick to the Utah Jazz. Draft Express has him going to the Washington Wizards at 49. NBA.com also predicts Young going to the Jazz, but with the 54th pick.
Bottom line: Young has first round talent, but most teams will shy away from his less-than-ideal NBA size.
Instant offense off the bench is always in high demand across the league. Young will have to adjust to coming off the bench and touching the ball less. Still, his offensive potential remains high. Spending a second round pick on him is a low-risk, high-reward option for teams in need of scoring depth.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner