Los Angeles Lakers: Nick Young’s Impact
The Los Angeles Lakers are an offensively oriented team; not by choice really, but rather necessity because their defense is so poor that it’s the only option.
However, through the early portion of the season they have lacked a consistent No. 2 scoring option behind Kobe Bryant, or at least they have lacked a scorer capable of putting up points totals that would scare the defense. They also lacked a healthy Nick Young.
Young made his return to the lineup on Tuesday, playing 28 minutes off the bench in a 114-109 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
While it’s hard to draw a clear cut conclusion that the two are linked exactly, being Nick Young returning and the Lakers grabbing only their second win of the season, it’s hard to argue that Young’s presence could be considered a detriment going forward.
He adds a much needed offensive spark to an otherwise brutal bench unit, and offered a second option behind the overused Kobe Bryant.
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Going forward, it’s tough not to see Nick Young approaching starter-like minutes off the bench as a key portion of the offensive game plan down the stretch. Unlike another player that has been given the green light to take over the offense, Jeremy Lin, the carryover from last season should have no problem shifting center stage when the time calls.
This normally could be a problem, but for this team in particular it could be a serious blessing.
With a potential lineup of Jeremy Lin, Kobe Bryant, Nick Young, Carlos Boozer, and Jordan Hill, the Los Angeles Lakers will have the opportunity to play an offensive style of basketball that could actually be considered competitive.
Of course, there will still be issues; Young cannot fix the issue of the Lakers lack of talent and depth singlehandedly and he has never been known as a player with defensive intentions of any kind.
Still, the potential of a lineup that can actually be somewhat fearsome for opposing defenses has got to be enticing for fans of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Perhaps the best part of all of this is that Nick Young jumped into the game and seemed to be right in the swing of things, with little rust. In fact, he shot an efficient six of ten from the field en route to 17 points, and went to the foul line five times which tied him for first on the team.
His presence should open up things for players who are not as dynamic as he is, as his presence on the wing will surely garner the attention of opposing defenses.
With all of the silver lining noted here, there is a black cloud hanging above the team. Nick Young may make a nice impact, but it seems that it is a little to late to be thinking about a playoff run, especially with the losses of personnel the team has suffered to date.
Instead, his presence will be exactly what it was last year: a box office attraction. Between Kobe Bryant’s chasing of the scoring record and Nick Young’s “Swaggy P” shenanigans, it should be something to watch.