As he played through his senior season at Mitchell High in Memphis, Thaddeus Young was considered - along with Greg Oden and Kevin Durant - to be among the top high school talents in the country in the 2005-06 season.
All three chose to play only one season of college ball.
Oden, who impressed enough during his only season at Ohio State to be selected as the top overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers, will miss at least his rookie year because of a knee injury.
After showing himself to be a pure scorer at Texas, Durant wound up with the Seattle SuperSonics as the No. 2 selection. He's trying to make the transition to shooting guard after taking on mostly front-court players in college.
Young, a ready-made small forward who started every game as a freshman at Georgia Tech, went to the 76ers in the No. 12 spot after averaging 14.4 points per game on 47.8 percent shooting for the Yellow Jackets.
"I wanted to get the college experience," the 6-foot-8, 220-pound Young said about delaying his move to the pros. "I actually wanted to get my college degree, but I didn't think I'd last that long. I went in and worked hard. When I played against the pro guys, I was holding my own with them. I thought it was time to start my professional career."
With his new team looking to build its young talent base, Young followed third-year guard Lou Williams as a Sixers draft pick. Williams joined the team straight out of high school as a second-round selection in 2005.
Though the NBA summer- league circuit may not be the best barometer of a new player's skills, Young displayed the makings of a fine all-around player while averaging 11.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
"He's 19 years old, and he's extremely talented," said Tony DiLeo, the Sixers' senior vice president for basketball operations. "He has a great attitude and a great demeanor. He's been improving every day.
"Things are a little too fast for him right now. He has to understand the NBA game a little better," DiLeo said. "He can really play defense. He can rebound, and he has great basketball instincts. He's the complete package. It's just a learning process he has to go through."
Young, a native of New Orleans who had family members displaced by Hurricane Katrina, had a monster year as a high school senior, averaging 26.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.6 blocks.
