Philadelphia 76ers: Was the Thaddeus Young signing worth it?
Thaddeus Young, power forward for the Philadelphia 76ers, is an intriguing addition to the franchise.
Young, the 12th pick by the 76ers in the 2007 NBA Draft, emerged into quite a decent player. His hard work and effort earned him a five-year, $42 million contract extension with the team.
However, Young has had his fair share of injuries. He missed three weeks due to a strained left hamstring in a February game against the Orlando Magic. The 76ers are lucky that happened during the All-Star break. Otherwise, the 76ers would have been in worse shape.
Though Philadelphia is last in the Atlantic Division with a 25-40 record, that record would be worse without Young.
They’re already short-handed without the presence of Andrew Bynum in the post and thus need Young to become that presence. Is he worth the money? Just look at his production.
Thaddeus Young has developed a reputation as a hustler on the court. Photo Credit: Keith Allison, Flickr.com
Young is the second leading scorer on the team behind Jrue Holiday, averaging 15.3 points a game. He also leads the team in rebounds with 7.7 a game. Young averages 1.7 assists and steals per game, each. He’s also the 76ers’ only option in the post.
Young is best in transition, especially on the fast break, providing more opportunities for the power forward to score. However, his biggest asset is his intensity. Young is developing a reputation as one of the best hustlers on the court. If he keeps it up, he’ll be unstoppable. More importantly, Philadelphia can have a real gem on their team.
Is the Thaddeus Young signing worth it for Philadelphia? Yes, he is.