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Trae Young is the x-factor in an interesting point guard class

Nike Elite Youth Basketball League

Trae Young , Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images

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NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. -- The most interesting position in the 2017 recruiting class is point guard.

Trevon Duval is widely considered the best lead guard in the class, but his recruitment will likely take some twists and turns along the way, a direct result of Duval’s decision to transfer to API -- the same school that left Emmanuel Mudiay and Terrance Ferguson with eligibility question marks -- for his junior year.

After Duval, there are a handful of guards that can stake their claim to being second-best, evidence being the interest pouring in from the likes of Duke, Kentucky and Kansas. Two of them -- Tremont Waters and Trae Young -- squared off on Thursday at Peach Jam.

Waters got the best of the box score, but it was Young who shook off a slow start to lead MoKan Elite to a come-from-behind win despite the fact that a sprained ankle had rendered Michael Porter Jr., a top two player in the class, little more than a spot up shooter.

It’s Porter’s presence that makes Young perhaps the most intriguing player at the point guard position.

Young is a terrific prospect in his own right. He’s on the small side, but he’s a lights-out shooter with deep range that is a joy to watch in transition. He’s more Brandon Knight than he is Tyler Ulis, but there is a reason Kentucky has made him a priority. But his connection to Porter -- the two are quite close and have long discussed playing their college ball together -- has helped raise his profile.

Porter is probably headed to Washington. He hasn’t committed yet, but his younger brother is committed, his father was just hired as an assistant on Lorenzo Romar’s staff and the family is relocating from Columbia, Missouri to Seattle. The writing is on the wall, so the question then becomes whether or not Young will make the trek up to the Pacific Northwest as well.

“They were already recruiting me before Mike’s dad got there,” Young said, but it’s ramped up to another level since. Landing that duo would be quite the coup for Romar -- and well worth using an assistant’s spot on Porter Sr. -- and it would make the resulting dominoes something to track. Duke, Kentucky and Kansas (depending on how you view Malik Newman) will all likely be in the market for a point guard. Who lands Quade Green? Where does Waters end up? Is Matt Coleman good enough? Is Collin Sexton a point guard?

Young said he is waiting until after Peach Jam to cut his list and that he may wait to commit until the spring. When the decision finally comes, it’s safe to say he’ll be the x-factor in 2017’s point guard crop.