Blooming stars Bamba, Young bring divergent styles to court
Potential lottery picks and conference rivals face off for first time
AUSTIN — One stands 6-2 and, as far as pro basketball prospects go, is an average physical specimen. He doesn’t own a 40-inch vertical, can’t suddenly burst into hyperdrive like John Wall or Russell Westbrook and isn’t a chiseled 220-pound specimen like James Harden.
The other owns proportions — a lithe 6-11 frame with a 7-9 wingspan that seemingly spans from El Paso to Beaumont — so extraordinary you can only truly grasp the full extent in person. He guest authored a blog for USA Today as a high school senior, announced his college commitment through a Players’ Tribune manifesto and has been pegged as a top-10 NBA draft pick for years. On Saturday, the two finally will meet on the Erwin Center court.
‘Very special player’
Oklahoma’s Trae Young, bandied about as the second coming of Steph Curry, and Texas’ Mo Bamba, a defensive maven with an untapped reservoir of potential, have had scouts drooling over and dissecting their games since the season began nearly three months ago. They each occupy a vastly different portion of the basketball spectrum.
Start with Young, a fearless gunner with point-guard vision and boundless range. He is on pace to lead the NCAA in scoring (30.3 points per game) and assists (9.5), and he should eclipse 100 made 3-pointers within OU’s next few games. He has topped 40 points four times, put together a 26-point, 22-assist outing, and recently scored 26 points on only nine field-goal attempts in a win over fifth-ranked Kansas.
Young erases most of his physical disadvantages with the type of quick-draw shooting release you’d expect to see in some Hollywood Western, and that ability to unleash a 3 at any moment allows him to step past defenders and slide into the lane, where he can finish in all sorts of funky ways. And he can switch seamlessly between unrepentant chucker and precision, pass-first point guard.
Curry called Young “unbelievable” last month.
“Just the confidence that he plays with,” Curry told reporters. “I call it the flair, but it seems like he’s always composed and knows what he’s trying to do every time he has the ball in his hands. He shoots a lot of deep 3s and has a creativity to his game that’s just so fluid to watch.” LeBron James is a fan, too. “I’ve probably seen Trae Young play before you’ve seen him play,” James recently told Cleveland media. “I’ve seen Trae Young play ball since he was in eighth grade. He’s been a part of my camp the last few years, before he went off to Oklahoma, so I know what he’s all about, and what he’s doing now is very special. Very special player. Can add a lot to any team, if he decides to come out and come into the draft.”
Bamba make his bones on the other end.
It’s a testament to what a gamechanging presence he is on defense that teams would be willing to spend a top-10, or even top-five, pick on Bamba, who is still in the process of developing a consistent offensive game.
There’s no doubt Bamba is a special talent, though. He has already broken UT’s single-season blocks record of 92 set by Chris Owens, and he is on pace to finish with more than 130. He has grabbed at least 10 rebounds in 15 of 21 games and serves as the fulcrum of the nation’s fourthranked defense, per Ken Pomeroy’s advanced statistics.
Budding offensive game
Bamba has also displayed encouraging hints of growth on offense. He has hit each of his last four 3-pointers and strung together two consecutive 20-point outings in wins over Iowa State and Mississippi. When aggressive and engaged, Bamba turns into a monstrous load to handle in the post, and he’s shooting 60 percent from the field in conference play.
“With Mo, I’ve been on this with him since the day he got here. I think he’s the best player around when he is the most engaged player on the floor,” Texas coach Shaka Smart said. “The way I put it with him is just demonstrating how much you care. When he is out there with passion and enthusiasm and talk and he’s in a stance and he’s springing the floor and doing all these things that are a manifestation of his care and concern about his team, about winning, about the game of basketball, that’s when he is a phenomenal player.”
Bamba and Texas (14-8, 4-5 Big 12) should have no problem staying engaged against Young and 12th-ranked Oklahoma (16-5, 5-3). And, in the event Bamba gets switched onto Young at the top of the key, just kick back and enjoy the brief battle between two brilliant, divergent stars.