Nick Young: Goes Off for 26 Points, Ready For New Role
By Mike Garcia
After taking a shot to Steven Adams against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nick Young entered the Sacramento Kings game with a renewed focus. Simply put, he was hot from the field.
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The Lakers struggled early on with sub 30% shooting in the first quarter. They stumbled out of the blocks. Kobe Bryant started 1 of 5 from the field and his rhythm was completely off. Ronnie Price didn’t have his hot start like he had in his previous game, where he had 14 points in the first quarter.
Then Nick Young entered the game.
It took him a couple of minutes to settle in. After drawing contact on a drive and hitting a teammate for an assist underneath the basket, he started off aggressively, attacking the basket again. An easy hoop set him up for the rest of the game.
Early in the second quarter, it began. He started with a step-back three-point shot against Nik Stauskas. In semi-transition, he attacked the Kings defense again for another lay up. He wasn’t going to settle. Later in the quarter, he popped another three-point basket after the Kings scored in transition.
He was subbed out early in the first half. When he came back in during the third quarter, he tried to draw a foul on a mid-range shot. There is contact on the shot on his back, but he hit it anyway. However, the most impressive shot of the night was a 27′ bomb from long range that he hit and drew the foul early in the fourth.
Last year, he was the leading scorer for the Lakers. With Kobe Bryant sitting out a game, he’s next for the responsibility. Is he going to start? Is he going to play heavy minutes off the bench as a leading scorer? What do you think his role should be for the next game?
Let us know in the comments below.