Three years into his Florida career, Patric Young remains an enigma.
Once considered the best big man Billy Donovan has ever recruited and a potential one-and-done player, Young has not lived up to expectations. But a starting center putting up 10.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game obviously isn’t a bust.
Young isn’t just an average player, either, because he rarely has an average game. He seems to oscillate between 12-and-12 and 2-and-3 on a nightly basis.
While his chiseled physique and freakish athleticism generate expectations of greatness, his lack of instincts and feel for the game will always hold him back.
Watching him play, spectators feel like those mental shortcomings are easily correctable. But maybe asking him to have a better sense of where the rebound will come off is no more fair than asking him to be taller or jump higher — he just can’t do it.
Donovan seems to think Young’s problem is related to effort, saying the difference between his good games and his bad games is "a total choice by him."
"As big and strong as he is, there’s no reason he shouldn’t demand the ball every single time he gets down inside," Donovan said. "There are times you watch him on film and there’s no presence there."
So is Young lazy? That can’t be it. Everything he’s ever said has made him seem like a smart, hard-working, level-headed guy.
Lazy people don’t have bodies like Young’s. They don’t flip tires and pull trucks during the offseason.
Only his 50 percent free-throw shooting suggests a lack of effort, but I haven’t seen him in practice, and I don’t know how he spends his time, so I’m not going to assume he isn’t working hard.
Donovan’s other go-to explanation is that Young has been limited by foul trouble, but that’s rarely been an issue. Young averages just 3.4 fouls per 40 minutes and has played at least 22 minutes in every game this season.
Young appears to be committed to Florida and the process. More than any other player, Young’s answers parrot — often word for word — the things Donovan tells his team and the media.
But then why is Young facing the same issues he has since he first arrived at UF?
During his freshman year, Young was too focused on the expectations. He wanted to score and rebound enough to preserve his status as a projected NBA lottery pick.
He wanted to play well so badly that he became frustrated by his limited role. He admitted he was listening to the wrong people. But, after a meeting with Donovan and his assistants, Young said he bought in. He was only interested in running the floor, rebounding and playing defense.
Young had supposedly learned, but during his sophomore season, we heard about the same discussions.
Donovan wanted Young to run the floor, rebound and defend. Young wanted to get the ball more. They talked, and Young said he learned.
"I’m starting to realize the great players are the ones who can perform even when they’re not feeling great, and I’m starting to do a lot better job of that," Young said. "I’ve got to push myself."
So I have to assume he knows what’s being asked of him, and I have to assume he’s working hard. Then what’s holding him back?
He doesn’t have instincts or a feel for the game. Even on Saturday, when Donovan applauded his effort, Young played some terrible stretches. With 16:25 remaining the second half, his attempt at a jumper — which he should never be taking — was blocked.
On the ensuing Arkansas possession, he watched flatfooted as a shot attempt rolled around the rim and off to Arkansas’ Coty Clarke, who scored the follow-up layup. Young reached over just in time to foul and give Clarke the and-one opportunity.
Is Young lazy for not boxing out? I don’t think so. He was upset with the result of the play — he wanted to grab the rebound.
He just doesn’t have the instincts or the feel to put himself in the right spot and make the right play on a consistent basis. More than effort or athleticism or toughness or commitment, those instincts are holding Young back.
Contact Greg Luca at gluca@alligator.org.
Center Patric Young wipes his brow with a towel during a timeout in Florida’s 83-52 win against Missouri on Jan. 19 in the O’Connell Center.
