Stephen Curry on Oklahoma’s Trae Young: ‘He’s unbelievable’

Add two-time MVP and two-time NBA champion Stephen Curry to the list of players and personalities who have taken notice of Trae Young, Oklahoma’s star guard who has emerged as one of the most dynamic backcourt talents the game has seen in recent years.

Curry was asked about Young Wednesday night after Golden State’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. His response can be summed up in two words: “He’s unbelievable.”

“He’s unbelievable, just the confidence that he plays with. I call it the flare, but he 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 threes and has a creativity to his game that’s so fluid to watch. The comparisons are what they are and I know when I turn on the game to watch him play... that kind of magnetism is pretty special in the college game…He’s fun to watch.”

Young is averaging 29.4 points on 47 percent shooting from the field, 40 percent shooting from three, and 86.3 percent shooting from the foul line to lead the Sooners to a top-10 AP Top 25 ranking. But he also averages 10.6 assists and 1.8 steals per game, rounding out his game as a potential top-five pick in the 2018 NBA draft.

He leads college basketball in both scoring and assisting. The only other player to do that, ever, was Duke’s Dick Groat back in the 1951-52 season. Yes, Trae Young is on pace to do something that hasn’t been done in 65 years.

Young has guided Oklahoma to a 12-1 record, including wins over ranked USC, Wichita State, and TCU.

He has become the biggest thing in college basketball, and NBA players know it.

Russell Westbrook applauded the Oklahoma guard back in late December:

“He’s done an amazing job, man,” Westbrook said on Dec. 20. “He’s put the work in and he’s put himself in a position to lead a team, and he’s leading the country in scoring and assists. It’s amazing to see him do such great things.”

And legendary Kentucky head coach John Calipari heaped praise on the freshman in early January:

“I knew how good he was, but I didn’t even realize he was this good,” Calipari said, according to SECCountry.com. “The biggest thing in this, and it’s a great lesson. Lon Kruger, who I have unbelievable respect for, basically said ‘We’re gonna play through you, it’s all going through you, you’re gonna shoot when you want.’ And he did not lie.”

When Young set an NCAA Division I assist record with 22 assists in just 29 minutes, stars of all experience tweeted their praise:

Young has been compared to Curry because of both his shooting ability and poise at the point guard slot. And if Curry’s already taken note and is heaping praise on the star guard, the league better watch out.

It could have Chef Curry 2.0 on its hands soon.