Lakers: Nick Young Bringing Life, Swag To Roster
By Jacob Rude
When the Lakers traveled to Atlanta for Tuesday nights showdown, they were coming off an embarrassing defeat to the Golden State Warriors, a game where the team looked hopeless and far too reliant on Kobe Bryant offensively and far too carefree on defense.
In walked Nick Young.
Since the arrival of Young, the Lakers look like a revitalized team. No longer to they rely on Bryant to score. No longer does the offense disappear when Bryant goes to the bench. Maybe most importantly, the team learned that Bryant will trust them if they earn it.
Instead of hero ball from Bryant, we saw a willing passer who found Young on many clutch plays in Atlanta. Again in Houston, Bryant deferred to teammates even as he was in the midst of a streak of six straight made jumpers.
In each of the contests, the Lakers came out victorious. And in the locker room post-game, we saw a much more upbeat team.
Nick Young (on TWC) asked if it's coincidence Lakers are undefeated w/ him: "I can't take all the credit. (*laughs) I can take some of it."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 20, 2014
Jordan Hill to Nick Young in the locker room (joking around) "You almost cost the game with that tech." (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 20, 2014
Jordan Hill on his midrange jumpers: "I don't make them all, but..."
— Gary Kester (@garykester) November 20, 2014
Swaggy P: " You shoot 'em all!"
In all seriousness, Young has provided a new element to the Lakers that they greatly lacked. The team already lacked pure scorers, and when Wayne Ellington left to rightfully be with his family after the passing of his father, the team became one-dimensional on offense.
If Bryant wasn’t producing or creating, the Lakers weren’t scoring. Teams didn’t have to worry about anyone else on the offensive side from scoring. They could pack the paint, shade to Bryant’s side, and indirectly negate most of Jordan Hill and Ed Davis‘ rebounding.
It was no coincidence that the Lakers were often finishing games with both Ellington and Bryant on the floor as it gave LA the most spacing and put another guy on the court that defenses had to respect.
Even moreso with Young’s return, teams must respect Young offensively. He can create his own shot, score from deep, and provides an element the Lakers didn’t have before.
Kobe: "Nick is a phenomenal talent. He's hitting his pull up jumpshot. He's creating mismatches. He's working hard defensively." (on TWC)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 20, 2014
Certainly, the honeymoon period will wear off in the coming games. A road game against Dallas, the best offense in the league, will likely deliver a massive reality check. However, this team is a new squad offensively with Young on the team.
If the team does bring in some new, young players to push the incumbents, this team could actually make a run. Whether or not that’s best for the Lakers future is another story.
For now, let’s just enjoy the swag.