Is There Hope for Nick Young with the Lakers?

Has everyone forgotten about Nick Young?

Media coverage of the Los Angles Lakers and their off-season has understandably focused on three main story lines. First, there is the trio of Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and D’Angelo Russell.

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It is no exaggeration to suggest that the team’s success or failure over the next decade depends on how fast these young players develop and how productive they turn out.

Then there’s Kobe Bryant.

What position will he play, and how many minutes per game?

How often will he sit out to rest, and can he make it through the season without suffering another major injury?

Then there is free agent guard Lou Williams, power forward Brandon Bass, and center Roy Hibbert.

What role will they be given, and is it enough to significantly upgrade the team’s performance over that of last year?

With so much attention paid to these important questions it is easy to forget that there are other players from last year’s roster who are still on the team.

One of those players is “Swaggy P.”

Young seems like a genuinely nice guy. He was spotted having lunch with his buddies near his home in Tarzana, California the other day. He was having so much fun. It was tempting to ask if joining them was a possibility.

Young always looks like he’s having fun whether he’s swimming with dolphins in Hawaii, lip-syncing on TV to a classic rock song, or hanging out on the red carpet at the Billboard Music Awards. Young is the life of the party.

While he pops up all over the place during the off-season, Young is the least likely to show up on a basketball court working on his game.

Feb 22, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Nick Young (0) reacts to a 3 point basket in the second half of the game against the Boston Celtics at Staples Center. Lakers won 118-111 in OT. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Aside from the Drew League, basketball does not seem to play much of a role in Young’s life over the summer.

Players such as Randle and Clarkson, neither of whom are LA natives, are either working out at the Lakers’ practice facility, in the weight room, or running in the sand every day.

By all appearances, the focal point of Young’s off-season does not revolve around him working on his game.

Perhaps, Young suffers from a perception problem. It’s certainly possible that he works on his craft in private.

It’s even plausible that he sneaks over to a friend’s house, and they work out together in secret. Jordan Farmar‘s house is just minutes away from where Young lives.

However, in a world where perception is reality, the perception is that “Swaggy P” cares more about being a celebrity than he does about basketball.

Young hit celebrity gold when he came to the Lakers. There is no doubt about that. He has a larger stage for his act and pretty soon Young’s alter ego became a household name.

It is often said that the Lakers no longer attract top-tier free agents because social media is everywhere. Living in Los Angeles is no longer important.

It is true you can build a brand anywhere today. However, Young is living proof that being a celebrity in LA provides greater benefits and creates even higher rewards than playing in Milwaukee, Toronto, Cleveland, Oklahoma City or Charlotte, North Carolina.

For an NBA player who just turned 30, Young faces a big obstacle this fall. Head coach Byron Scott does not appreciate his perceived lack of dedication to his day job.

Even when he was healthy, Young only played sporadically last season and for good reason. When he did play he was not very good.

Season	Age	Tm	G	MP	FGA	FG%	3PA	3P%	2P%	eFG%	FTA	FT%	ORB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PTS
2013-14	28	LAL	64	28.3	13.9	.435	5.5	.386	.468	.511	4.5	.825	0.5	2.6	1.5	0.7	0.2	1.5	17.9
2014-15	29	LAL	42	23.8	11.3	.366	5.4	.369	.363	.453	3.5	.892	0.4	2.3	1.0	0.5	0.3	1.0	13.4
Career			522	23.8	10.4	.423	3.4	.376	.446	.484	2.7	.833	0.4	2.0	1.1	0.6	0.2	1.2	12.3

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/30/2015.

Apparently, the same front office that signed Young to an idiotic long-term contract the year before has seen the light. It was widely reported that the organization was desperately trying to trade Young this off-season, but there were no takers.

When it became clear that “Swaggy P” could not be moved, General Manager Mitch Kupchak gave him a vote of confidence, saying that he can envision Young playing an important role on the team next season.

It will be interesting to see if the head coach fells the same way.

The question now is whether or not Young has anything left to offer. He had to have realized after last season that he was on the bubble.

The rational thing to do would be responding by recommitting himself to basketball and working extremely hard this summer to improve his game. That hasn’t happened or so it appears.

So what now?

The truth is that the Lakers need Young to play and play well with the current unbalanced roster.

Dec 30, 2014; Denver, CO, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) during the game against the Denver Nuggets at Pepsi Center. The Lakers won 111-103. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

The team picked up big men and guards this off-season. There has been no emphasis on the small forward position, and, as a result, there is no true wing player with any experience under contract.

Bryant will try to play the position to start the season, but realistically Bryant’s minutes will be limited. He is going to miss entire games for rest, and statistically speaking the odds suggest he will be injured again at some point.

Who is going to play the position when Bryant isn’t around, either due to rest or injury?

Enter “Swaggy P.” Although more of a natural guard, Young has mostly played small forward since joining the Lakers, usually relieving Wesley Johnson who is no longer with the team.

With the roster as it’s currently configured, Young is in a good position to play significant minutes at the wing and possibly start when Bryant is unavailable. There is no one else to fill that spot at the moment.

Will “Swaggy P” take advantage of the opportunity and step up?

Young has considerable natural ability. No one questions that. A star player at Cleveland High School in the San Fernando Valley, Young played basketball at the University of Southern California for three years where he was twice awarded All Pac-10 First Team honors.

In the 2007 NCAA Tournament, Young led the Trojans to the Sweet 16 and an upset victory over Kevin Durant and the Texas Longhorns along the way.

Young was drafted 16th overall in the first round of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards, where he played for five seasons.

The Wizards eventually grew tired of waiting for Young to reach his potential and has since played for three other teams including the Lakers for the past two seasons.

The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Young is a great shooter, but that is not entirely accurate. Young is more of a streaky shooter than a great one.

Dec 12, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Los Angeles Lakers small forward Nick Young (0) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner (15) during the second half at AT&T Center. The Lakers won 112-110 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Young has career averages of 42 percent from the field and 37 percent from three-point range. These are respectable numbers but nothing special.

However, when Young is cold, he’s often frozen and can remain that way for quite some time, as was the case for most of last season.

That being said, when Young starts to get hot, it doesn’t take much for him to induce a fire. On those occasions, “Swaggy P” is worth the price of admission.

He can score a boatload of points very quickly — some on seemingly impossible shots from extraordinarily long distances — no matter who is guarding him.

Another issue Young has is that he needs to contribute with more than just his shooting.

Scott has told him the same thing, but will he do it?

For his career, Young averages a mere two rebounds and one assist per game. He is considered a disinterested defender. He has the skills to be better, so the most likely explanation is a lack of desire and effort.

Young has always been a one-dimensional player which is unacceptable for an NBA starter. It’s a role that Young has oddly eschewed over the years while preferring to come off the bench.

It is hard to enter this season with much confidence that Young will become a born-again basketball player. He will have to earn the coach’s confidence.

Young has the ability to do it, but no one knows if he will even try. His contract is guaranteed either way, and he has other potential distractions outside of basketball.

However, given the serious lack of depth at the small forward position, Young is going to get an opportunity to contribute. Once again, “Swaggy P” is in the right place at the right time which is all a player can ask for. It is up to him to make the most of it.

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