Los Angeles Lakers: An Ode To Nick Young

The Best Game(s) Of The Year:

For all the Swaggy P jokes this season, Young was actually a really positive influence on the game off the bench for the Lakers. This fact was never clearer than the two games where he topped 40 points (both in April). On April Fool’s Day, the joke was on the Portland Trail Blazers when Swaggy dropped 40 points off the bench on 15-of-27 shooting from the floor and 6-of-13 shooting from downtown. The Blazers won the game by 12, but whatever, it was a moral victory for Young, who started off by making his first eight shots.

In the second-to-last game of the season, Young put up a season-high 41 points on the Utah Jazz and this time, the Lakers got the win too. Swaggy went 14-for-23 from the floor and 6-for-11 from downtown, lighting up an opposing defense off the bench for the second time in two weeks. The Lakers were trying to tank at that point, and sure, we could admit LA might have gotten a higher draft pick by not winning the last two games of the season, but screw it. When Swaggy P decides he wants to go off, you sit back and enjoy it.

In the event this is the end of Nick Young’s time in LA, Godspeed, Swaggy. Even if Lakers fans don’t miss you, the rest of us will. Forget about LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. All I care about is Nick Young’s free agency decision.

Sarcastic humor aside, Gerald actually really does enjoy watching Swaggy P play and would love to connect with fellow Nick Young fans in the comments or on Twitter! Haters not welcome.