NBA Draft 2018: 5 best pure shooters available

OMAHA, NE - MARCH 25: Grayson Allen #3 of the Duke Blue Devils concentrates at the free throw line against the Kansas Jayhawks during the 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Midwest Regional Final at CenturyLink Center on March 25, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images) /

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KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 07: Oklahoma Sooners guard Trae Young (11) shoots a three in the first half of a first round matchup in the Big 12 Basketball Championship between the Oklahoma Sooners and Oklahoma State Cowboys on March 7, 2018 at Sprint Center in Kansas City, MO. (Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Trae Young, Oklahoma

Finally, we hit the name that everyone assumed would be on this list the moment they read the title. Oklahoma freshman, Trae Young, made a name for himself based purely off of his ability to hit three-pointers from nearly any spot and distance on the court. Young’s 36 percent shooting on 3-pointers last year is the lowest average among the other four players mentioned.

Yet, CleaningTheGlass had a great breakdown on how shot selection caused that number to dip that low. Young shot 40 percent on pull-up 3-pointers took inside 30 feet and 38 percent on catch-and-shoot attempts from NBA range. The number that hurt him was shooting 26 percent on 3-pointers taken beyond 30 feet (not including heaves). Young shot one-third of all of his 3-point attempts as a freshman from 30-plus feet.

The reason that Young shot so many deep 3-pointers is that Sooners head coach Lon Kruger gave his freshman point guard the ultimate green light a year ago. Young was the entire pulse of the Oklahoma team in his lone season in college. The gravity that he caused due to his shooting prowess was unmatched by any player since Stephen Curry and Jimmer Fredette were bombing away from the perimeter in the late 2000’s. Young drew comparisons to the newly minted three-time NBA champion Curry during his freshman season; he hasn’t reached two-time MVP Curry status, but he certainly is in line with what we saw from Curry in his last season as a Davidson Wildcat.

Next: Every NBA team's greatest shooter of all time

Young isn’t likely to take over the NBA the same way he did the NCAA in year one, but his shooting is something that all opposing teams will be trying to stop immediately. As Young continues to develop and add on strength, there’s a chance that he could one day replicate what we’ve seen out of Curry, but that likelihood is slim. What we should be judging Young on is how well he does as the first Trae Young instead of comparing him automatically to the greatest shooter in NBA history.

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