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Indiana Pacers: Thaddeus Young is the team’s Swiss Army knife

By Adrian Lawhorn

Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images
Photo by Chris Schwegler/NBAE via Getty Images /
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Power forward Thaddeus Young has been a versatile and invaluable veteran presence since joining the Indiana Pacers last season.

The Indiana Pacers traded for Thaddeus Young 16 months ago with the intent to improve the supporting cast around All-Star Paul George. Times have certainly changed, but Thaddeus Young has not.

Young is not the flashiest player, but he contributes to the team in many ways — so much so that the term “two-way player” doesn’t really do him justice.

Offensively, Thaddeus Young is very versatile. He is a good post-up player from the power forward position, and he’s always been known as a very good mid-range shooter during his 11-year NBA career.

Since coming to Indiana, Young has also improved his 3-point shooting, hitting 37.6 percent as a Pacer (Young’s career average through his first nine NBA seasons was 31.9 percent).

On the defensive side of the floor, Thaddeus Young is multifaceted and effective. Young has enough strength and length to defend in the paint, and he also possesses mobility and quickness that allow him to guard opposing players on the perimeter.

Young is currently ranked third among Pacers rotation players in Defensive Rating with a solid mark of 106.0. Considering that he is being asked to defend centers, power forwards and small forwards, that rating is quite good.

In terms of intangibles, Young once again comes through as a key contributor. He has provided the Pacers with leadership both on and off the basketball court, which has become even more valuable now that the Indiana roster has gotten younger.

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Many times in the NBA, guys are labeled as “hustle players” when they are short on skill but give tremendous effort every night. Thaddeus Young is a skilled player, but he should also be given credit for his hustle.

Young is third in the NBA in defensive deflections per game (3.9) and stands ninth in the league in contested 3-point shots per night (4.1). He also regularly goes hard after loose balls — all of which support the supposition that Thaddeus Young is a tremendous effort player.

Another issue that should be discussed is the significant change in Young’s role from his first to his second season in Indiana. In 2016-17, Young was brought in to help Paul George guide a veteran Pacers team to success in the playoffs.

However, once George was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Thaddeus Young became an experienced leader on a young, rebuilding team that suddenly was focused more on the future than on the present.

Young could have become a spare part since the team was now looking to develop its youthful frontcourt (players such as Domantas Sabonis and T.J. Leaf were potentially going to steal playing time from Young).

What has actually transpired through the first 14 games of the season is that Thaddeus Young has seamlessly adjusted to his new role and altered team goals, posting 13.6 points and 6.0 rebounds per game on 48.2 percent shooting.

Young has played so well that no one is bumping him down the pecking order. In fact, he’s playing more this year (33.2 minutes per game) than he did last season, when he averaged 30.2 minutes per contest.

Everyone knows about superstars like LeBron James and Russell Westbrook who can dominate in virtually every facet of the game. Thaddeus Young is not a star, but he is a terrific glue guy.

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Young is good at almost every skill needed on the basketball floor, and he adds value in the locker room as well. The Pacers may not be a good team just yet, but if they are to get there, it will be in part because of the varied and important contributions of Thaddeus Young.

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