Even though he hasn’t been with Golden State long, Nick Young noticed some differences right away between them and the Los Angeles Lakers.
This offseason, the Los Angeles Lakers saw their always entertaining shooting guard Nick Young sign with the Golden State Warriors. In what appeared to be a move to win a ring, Young likely left some money on the table in order to join Golden State.
As the defending champions, the Warriors are heavy favorites to repeat this season. With almost zero competition coming from the Eastern Conference, it will just be a few teams in the West that might be able to dethrone them.
Recently, Young talked with Marc Spears of the Undefeated about his time with the Lakers and the differences between them and the Warriors. Here’s what he had to say.
"“Like Kobe, it’s a totally different set of stars,” Young said. “Kobe, you had to say, ‘What’s up?’ to him and talk to him. He was very standoffish. But these guys, once I came in, were already all jelling. It was kind of like family…I was a little nervous. It’s a new team that just won a championship, and it’s a bunch of great players. But they welcomed me great, so I thought that was unbelievable right there.”"
Young’s comments shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as Kobe Bryant was from a totally different era than the Warriors. In order for Kobe to be on top of the NBA, he used his killer instinct.
On the Warriors, it is certainly a more happy-go-lucky group. There are few players in the NBA that have Kobe’s mentality toward the game now, and the Warriors are certainly a fun bunch like the way they play the game. For Young, this locker room is certainly fitting for him. Young also notes how quickly that they embraced him as their new teammate.
So far this season, Young isn’t playing as much as he would have with other teams, but he has been extremely efficient when he does. Young is averaging 9.8 points per game and is shooting over 50 percent from 3-point range and over 60 percent from the field.
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On such a talented team, the Warriors aren’t asking Young to go out of his comfort zone. With great playmakers around him, Young is going to have a nice season pulling 3-pointers in Golden State. As a fan-favorite from his time in Los Angeles, Lakers fans will surely be pulling for Young to have a good season.