Swaggy P for Sixth Man?

The eccentric and high volume shooter Nick “Swaggy P” Young has recreated his basketball image in his first season with the LA Lakers. Young came into LA on a minimum one year deal with a player option for the second. Critics worried he and Kobe Bryant would not play well together as both love to shoot the ball.

Courtesy: Zimbio

Young was originally drafted 17th overall by the Washington Wizards in 2007. He was involved in the Wizards team full of knuckleheads, like JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche. Obviously things did not go to well in DC during those years as the three of them destroyed Washington’s chances to compete. Young was later traded to the Clippers in a three way deal that also sent JaVale McGee to the Denver Nuggets. Nick Young did not play much for the Clippers that year as his high volume shooting, low field goal percentage and lack of defensive effort buried him in the lineup.

After one season with LAC, Young left in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers with hopes of making a playoff run with Andre Iguodala and company. However things did not go as planned when Iggy was traded to Denver as Philly received the injured Andrew Bynum. As we all know Bynum did not play a single minute for Philadelphia and the 76ers once again received a lottery pick.

Nick Young’s value diminished to almost nothing when signing the minimum deal with LA. Teams viewed Swaggy P as a black hole on offense. Ultimately, Young decided to go back home to his beloved Lakers to try and resurrect his career.

Courtesy: Bleacher Report

Thus far, Nick Young has definitely achieved his goal of bringing back his value in the league. He has carried the injury plagued Lakers this season with several clutch performances. He has single handedly willed the Lakers to victory on several occasions, including a monstrous performance against Minnesota where he recorded 25 points on 9-14 shooting and shockingly recorded 4 assists.For a guy that’s labeled a “chucker” that is certainly an efficient performance.

Young began the season in the starting lineup but struggled immensely. When Coach Mike D’Antoni moved him to the bench he surprisingly shined in the role. He shocked everybody when he took the infamous charge weeks back and labeled himself the Defensive Player of the Year in his post-game interview. Swaggy P has certainly showed his will to win on the court this season. It is probably the first season in his career that he has had this much responsibility and has played this much defense. Playing with old teammate, Jordan Farmar, has most definitely helped him. Young is now a crowd favorite with the Lakers and the support of him has only aided him in heating up at any point of the game.

Nick Young (16.5 PPG) is currently second in bench scoring to Sacramento’s Isaiah Thomas. However, Thomas has been moved into Sacramento’s starting lineup, since the Rudy Gay trade, and if he continues as a starter the remainder of the season, he will be ineligible for 6th Man of the Year. That leaves Young and Jamal Crawford as the other top scorers off the bench. Young’s value to the Lakers this season though, and his consistent defensive efforts, should be enough to secure the award. Let’s not forget how tough it is to come off the bench and score. It’s basically the equivalent to going into the gym and immediately playing a game without warm ups. Not to mention how likeable of a player Nick Young is as he always remains positive even after a tough loss.

Kobe being injured this season has not been a total negative as it has allowed Young to show how valuable he can really be to a team. LA has finally found the bench player that they have been missing since Lamar Odom was traded to the Dallas Mavericks. Hopefully, if Swaggy P declines his player option, the Lakers will sign him to a nice extension to award him for his efforts in what has been a lost season.
~Statistical credits to espn.com and nba.com~