For Las Vegas Aces guard Jackie Young, the status of being the No. 1 overall draft pick comes with a certain set of expectations including but not limited to: shifting a franchise’s hopes, becoming a leader in the locker room, on the floor and in the community, and growing into one of those players that establishes a culture of excellence throughout the team.
Nothing major, right?
For Young, though, it’s different. When the Las Vegas Aces selected Young out of Notre Dame, it came with the understanding that she wasn’t going to be the No. 1 option. In fact, she’ll probably be closer to the fourth or fifth option. It’s nothing against the All-American, though. It’s just the reality of the Aces roster, which features three all-stars in Kayla McBride, Liz Cambage and A’ja Wilson who each averaged more than 18 points per game. Throw sharpshooting guard Kelsey Plum into the mix, and there’s certainly an argument for the “there’s only one basketball” concern.
With that in mind, the Aces aren’t exactly a deep team. The addition of Cambage likely allows head coach Bill Laimbeer to stagger his frontcourt stars, but Young could find her flow in those pockets of time when the second unit needs some direction. Laimbeer said Young will start at point guard, moving Plum off the ball and likely into a more scoring-centric role, and as with any rookie point guard, there’s a learning curve to be had.
Before we get too deep into how Young fits in, it’s important to understand who she is and why the Aces used their third consecutive No. 1 pick on her.
Young is a Hoosier, through and through
Young finished her high school career in Indiana as the leading scorer (girls’ or boys’) in the state’s history with 3,268 points and earned 2016 Naismith Player of the Year honors during her senior year. She won a state title in 2015, leading the charge for Princeton High School.
From there, she moved to South Bend and joined Notre Dame, where she found her way in the lineup as a forward. She would go on to double her scoring average and increase her assists per game as well. In her final year in school, Young averaged 14.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists, and she stands as the only Notre Dame player to record multiple triple-doubles in a season.
Her performance earned her a spot on the AP All-American Third Team and All-ACC Second Team. Moreover, she really turned it on in the ACC Tournament, averaging 19.3 points, 10 rebounds and six assists per game to win the tournament’s MVP award, and she reached the NCAA Final Four twice, winning the championship as a sophomore and losing to Baylor in her junior year.
Welcome to the WNBA, Jackie
With a stellar resume, versatility on both ends of the floor, Young was the first overall choice by Laimbeer and Co. It’s almost as it if fate had its hand in the Aces winning the WNBA Draft Lottery, sending a perfect fit to Vegas to join some of the rising stars of the WNBA.
Her resume is lengthy and her amateur career is legendarily decorated, but as we saw with the Dallas Wings waiving Megan Gustafson, that doesn’t always translate to the professional game. The Aces clearly see potential and plug-and-play talent in Young even as an early entrant, and they liked her enough to make her the third junior to be drafted first overall. Laimbeer is giving her the keys early, and it seems like for good reason.
At 6-foot, 165-pounds, Young provides a strong, physical presence in the backcourt. She’s adept at making quick, decisive drives to the hoop and has a crafty sense of how to use her frame to create space and score. Despite her scoring pedigree, she’s unselfish, allowing her teammates on the Irish’s roster to get theirs while Young found ways to contribute, whether that was cutting off the ball or mixing it up on the offensive and defensive glass.
Young wasn’t much of an outside threat, attempting 31 threes during her junior year and sinking 14 of them, but it’s her all-around game that makes her an appealing addition to the roster. Ideally she’ll be able to run the offense and free up Plum and Kayla McBride to wreak havoc from the perimeter while Wilson and Cambage dice defenses down low. Her potential on the defensive end is also intriguing, as she has the lateral quickness, physicality and basketball IQ to guard nearly every position on the floor.
She impressed in her first taste of action during the Aces’ preseason contest with the Minnesota Lynx, scoring 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting in the Aces 79-75 loss. Wilson, last season’s clear Rookie of the Year, was complimentary of her new teammate afterward and said Young is getting along faster than she was last year. Whether that’s true or just Wilson being a good teammate (who will need Young to get her the ball, also), it’s not a bad start.
If Laimbeer chooses to roll out a backcourt consisting of Young leading with Plum and McBride off the ball, it provides an opportunity for Vegas to continue it fast pace it set last season, one which led the WNBA. Young seems like a prototypical grab-and-go guard who can clean the glass on defense and initiate the other way in a blink. A mixture of fast play, sharp shooting from Plum and McBride with the twin towers down low, and Vegas all of a sudden looks like a problem on offense.
Now, it goes without saying that depth will be a question mark, as will the way Laimbeer balances his talent in the starting lineup throughout the game. It could mean Young gets stints running an offense with second-unit players where she’ll be asked to take on a heavier scoring load, or maybe she’ll move off the ball and one of Vegas’ backup guards takes the lead. The point is that Laimbeer has options because Young is such a flexible and willing player.
Often, an exciting and talented rookie on a contender proves to be an X-factor. If that player shows up and excels, it adds an extra layer of issues for the opposing team to deal with on top of the established threats.
Jackie Young might not be that.
Instead, she could grow into a steady link between the multiple facets of the team. The pivot point, if you will. That’s not to say this is her team by any stretch. The Aces will go as Wilson, Cambage and McBride go, but Young could be that extra bit of salt to the team that enhances everything just a touch and ties everything together.
