Former Maryland basketball star Jahmir Young advances NBA hopes with a monstrous performance
Young is making waves in the G League.
Jahmir Young is making waves at the professional level.
The former Maryland men's basketball star had a career game for the Grand Rapids Gold (the Denver Nuggets' G League affiliate) on Sunday, posting 36 points, 13 assists, four rebounds and four steals in a 114-112 win over the Sioux Falls Skyforce, the Miami Heat's G League squad. Young set career-high marks in points, assists and steals.
After going undrafted in the 2024 NBA Draft, Young found an NBA Summer League home with the Denver Nuggets. Though he had some bright moments in the summer and in the preseason, Young ultimately did not make the NBA team but stuck around with Denver's G League team. The results have been phenomenal.
Young is averaging 20.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game in eight games with the Gold. He is shooting 51.9% from the field but just 25.7% from three. While the perimeter shooting is certainly not where it needs to be, high-volume scoring and playmaking numbers like he had Sunday speak volumes.
The 6-foot-1 Young, 24, had a sensational two-year Maryland career. The DeMatha Catholic product transferred to the Terps after two years at Charlotte, and he made the most of his time in College Park. Young averaged 18 points per game at Maryland, tied with Will Hetzel (1967-70) for the fifth-highest career scoring average in program history. He averaged 20.2 points per game last season, tied with Juan Dixon (2001-02) and Bob Kessler (1955-56) for the 11th-highest single-season scoring average in program history. Despite the Terps' struggles, Young was an All-Big Ten first-team selection a year ago.
"Jahmir, I mean, last year was phenomenal, but I think his junior year was really – he laid down such a great foundation for everything that we're trying to do, everything we're trying to build," Maryland head coach Kevin Willard said in June of Young's legacy. "And as good a year as he had, it's hard to tell people he's that much better of a kid. He's an unbelievable leader. He's great in the locker room, great in the community. I couldn't ask anything more from Jahmir, whether it's on the court, off the court, he gave the University of Maryland everything he could. He was just an absolute wonder to coach and I'm going to miss him greatly – not only just from the basketball standpoint, but most importantly just from being around him. He was just such a good guy to be around."
