John Wall, Nick Young: 5 Reasons They're the Best Young NBA Backcourt Duo
John Wall and Nick Young are key components in the Washington Wizards latest rebuilding project. That much is for sure. But the important question becomes: how competitive can the team be with this young duo manning the backcourt?
The answer, based on a league-wide analysis of developing guard prospects, is surprisingly well.
In fact, the Wizards have the best 25-or-under guard tandem in the league. I'll wait a moment for you to clean the coffee off your computer screen.
With Wall manning the "one" the Wizards have a true point guard, and in Young they've found a high-flying scorer who can score points at an impressive pace. Few other teams have youth like this at the guard positions.
Consideration for this award is based not only on past performance but recent development and player potential. In a sense, youth and upside are valued just as highly as a player's current stat line. I've also tried to factor in how well the players work together, and whether they fit the PG-SG role, and how well the complement each others strengths.
This may seem like a wild claim, but the evidence backs it up...
The Competition
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Well, Nate, who exactly are the other contenders for the title of your fictional "Best, Young Backcourt Duo"?
Great question.
Since many teams have veteran starters manning at least one of the guard positions, I have taken a look through rosters and depth charts to identify which players meet our requirements--even those who aren't a starting duo. After verifying age and position (with a bit of leniency), these are the most promising young backcourts:
Golden State's Monta Ellis (25) and| Steph Curry (23)
New Orleans' Marco Belinelli (24) and Chris Paul (25)
OKC's James Harden (21) and Russell Westbrook (22)
Sacramento's Marcus Thornton (23) and Tyreke Evans (21)
Chicago's Ronnie Brewer (25) and Derrick Rose (22)
Memphis' OJ Mayo (23) and Mike Conley (23)
Minnesota's Wes Johnson (23) and Jonny Flynn (22)
Dallas' Roddy Beaubois (22) and Corey Brewer (25)
Denver's Ty Lawson (23) and Afflalo/Smith (both 25)
Philadelphia 's Evan Turner (22) and Jrue Holiday (20)
Toronto's DeMar DeRozan (21) and Jarryd Bayless (22)
Los Angeles' Eric Gordon (22) and Eric Bledsoe (21)
Reason No.1: Flawed Competition
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It's clear only five teams (Golden State, Chicago, New Orleans, Oklahoma City and Sacramento) can make a persuasive case for this award. Each has their deficiencies.
New Orleans and Chicago are boom (Paul and Rose) or bust (Belinelli and Brewer). Sacramento and Golden State are playing two shooting guards, just that one is technically manning the point. Only the Ellis-Curry duo actually start together.
The top competitor would be the Thunder. Westbrook is playing lights out this season, and is almost as important to his team as the more heralded Kevin Durant. But he's playing is in his third season, and John Wall has bested his rookie totals in every category but FT percentage and rebounds.
James Harden has only started 5 NBA games, and hasn't yet proven himself the volume scorer you hope for in a shooting guard. He's only in his second season, but is not the efficient long range shooter Nick Young has proven himself to be.
If nothing else, there are legitimate questions surrounding every young guard combo in the league. The Wizards currently don't have the all-star game appearances, but if you value potential, integrity in the point guard position, and recent performance they are certainly in the conversation.
Reason No. 2: The Best Distributor
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In dishing out over nine assists per 40 minutes, Wall is second only to Chris Paul in the under-25 division. Oh, and he's a 20-year-old rookie, averaging the fourth highest assist total for a first year player. Ever.
Wall may not yet be a Russell Westbrook caliber player. But he's got better totals in most statistical categories then Westbrook did—that is, until he made "the jump" in his third NBA campaign.
Wall also has more double-doubles than Derrick Rose..this season. He has better totals in most stats than Rose did when he came into the league. Even current PG standard bearer Chris Paul's rookie year was less impressive.
Wall will battle Rajon Rondo for the NBA assist title for many years, and is already one of the top PGs on this list. He's got superstar upside, and is a better fit as a point guard than the other stars near his age (Westbrook and Rose). Despite a limited resume, he has shown enough to be considered an elite prospect.
Reason No 3: The Best Scorer
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In the preseason Gilbert Arenas famously faked a knee injury because teammate Nick Young was frustrated by his lack of playing time. Maybe Ol' Gil was on to something.
Since Arenas was traded, Young has averaged more than 20 points per game every month. He's averaging 22 points per 40 minutes as a starter--which is second for an under-25 shooting guard, ranking only behind Monta Ellis.
More importantly, he's more efficient than Ellis over that span, connecting on 45 percent of his shots and 46 percent of his threes.
Young is only now blossoming at age 25, having been stuck behind a slew of ball hungry Wizards guards and forwards over the years. But his talent as a scorer is real, and his impressive three point shooting will make a perfect compliment next to John Wall's talents as a distributor and penetrator over the coming years.
Nick isn't good at everything, but he's good where it matters for a shooting guard: scoring in buckets, range on his jump shot, and getting steals on the defensive end.
The Wizards will certainly make him a Qualifying Offer over the summer and will work to sign him up long-term.
Reason No. 4: Established Chemistry
5 of 6In the limited time they've played together, Wall and Young have developed a chemistry that has translated into impressive stat lines—if not wins for their lottery bound team.
This play showcase. Young starts the fast-break with a steal; drops it off to Wall around mid-court; Young gets it back and stuffs it home.
But they've also shown chemistry in the set offense. Wall consistently finds Young for the open three, and Young is improving his movement off the ball to free him up for his mid-range jump shot.
Their compatibility on defense is equally important. Wall is 6'4" and Young 6'7", so they also have great size for their positions. Opponents will have trouble finding mismatches in the backcourt when the Wizards are on D. The duo is averaging almost two and a half steals a game—a number that's only likely to improve in the coming years.
Reason No. 5: Opportunity
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The Wizards are one of the three youngest teams in basketball this season after jettisoning every semblence of veteran savvy not named Rashard Lewis. This team is in full-scale rebuilding mode. Barring any free agent moves, it's possible they'll only have one player over age 26 next season.
Maurice Evans is not in the team's long term plans, and Jordan Crawford is a project so the team's cupboard is relatively bare at the guard positions. Wall and Young will be starting for the foreseeable future, and have shown they can compete.
A prudent pick in this year's NBA lottery will give the team another piece to build around. And the slated starters at power forward and center are Andray Blatche (24) and JaVale McGee (23), so this team has time to grow together. Unlike the Thunder, who have a high-usage scoring champion franchise player at the small forward position, this is officially a backcourt team led by John Wall.
Given a season free from salary cutting trades and buyouts, the Wizards will see what they have been investing in during these basketball dark ages in Washington.
And they will like what they see.
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