Jan 19, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts after being called for a foul in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Suns defeated the Lakers 115-100. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
3. Nick Young
It is very tough to say, but it seems as if Swaggy P is now the man in LA. It also hard to say that the Lakers number one scoring option does not even start (TANKING). Ellington got the nod as the starting shooting guard in Friday’s game against the Spurs.
Imagine if before the 2012 season, with championship hopes, I were to say that in two seasons, Nick Young would be the best player on the Lakers. The responses would be interesting. With Kobe out, Nick Young will be the go to scorer, and he will be the one with the ball in his hands at the end of the game, just like he wanted.
Young recently fell into a very cold shooting slump, shooting just 33% or lower in eight straight games. But Young is back to his old self, averaging 18.25 points over his last four games. The idea of Bryant and Young together was always a bit scary, as they are both ball dominant and selfish. Young ranks second in offensive plus-minus, behind Kobe, but dead last in defensive plus-minus.
Whether Nick Young plays defense or not, he is guaranteed a large amount of minutes for the second half of the season just because of his offensive skills. Swaggy’s 39.2% from three is very impressive considering the level of difficulty on some of his deep range shots.
Young is arguably the league’s most one dimensional player. Besides scoring, Young is a poor play makers for others, plays little defense, and does not rebound well for his 6’7″ size. However, when you are on a team with as little talent as the Lakers, making plays like this will earn you a top three spot on the player rankings.