If you’ve gotten the chance to watch Oklahoma freshman Trae Young play at all so far this college basketball season, then you’ve probably noticed that he’s got a little bit of Steph Curry in his game. Take a look at any number of the plays in this highlight video below, and you’ll see that Young has clearly been influenced by Curry. If nothing else, he’s got the same kind of confidence that Curry has every time he takes the court.
Young, who is leading the nation in scoring right now with 29.4 points per game, has also spoken openly about how he’s used Curry to mold his game. While speaking with The Wall Street Journal recently, Young said that, while he’s been influenced by guys like Kyrie Irving, Chris Paul, and Steve Nash, Curry has been, by far, his biggest influence growing up.
"He was changing the game," Young said, "and the way I played fit perfectly."
On Wednesday, Curry was asked for his reaction to the performances Young has put on through the first half of his first season at Oklahoma, and the Warriors superstar had plenty of high praise for him. Curry called Young "unbelievable" and suggested that he can see why people are already comparing Young to him.
"Just the confidence that he plays with," Curry said. "I call it flair, but it seems like he’s always composed and knows what he’s trying to do with the ball in his hand. He shoots a lot of deep 3s and has a creativity to his game that’s cool to watch."
Young caught wind of what Curry said about him early Thursday morning and let him know that he appreciated the kind words. Young responded to them with this tweet.
It’s obviously way too early to tell whether or not Young’s career will follow the same trajectory as Curry’s. But as the WSJ pointed out, Young is a member of the so-called "Curry Generation" and proof that Curry is playing an integral part in the development of many of today’s young players. Young might be one of the first college basketball players to show real signs of Curry’s influence on the court, but he won’t be the last.
