This may come as a shock, but the Los Angeles Lakers might be looking to trade Nick Young. I know it’s hard to hear, Lakers fans. Sit down and take a deep breath. You can get through this.
With Nick Young's tough season + clashes w/ Byron Scott, I'm told Lakers will shop Young around this summer http://t.co/6dtco2bMSB
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) April 14, 2015
We all know that the man they call Swaggy P has had a rough year for a rough team in LA. Basketball-Reference (which also lists Bean Burrito and The City as alternate nicknames for Young) tells us his field goal percentage is at a career low 36 percent (MY EYES!) this year. Amazingly, that 36 percent is the same whether Young was inside or outside the three-point line, give or take a decimal. His overall percentage is considerably worse than noted non-shooters Rajon Rondo (43 percent) and Elfrid Payton (42 percent) and comparable to Ricky Rubio (36 percent). But you know what those guys also do? Pass. They pass the ball to their teammates.
Nick Young’s assist numbers this year are right in line with his career average of ONE ASSIST PER GAME. We all know Swaggy’s a chucker, and we also know he’s surrounded by bricklayers, but he’s a guard! He’s not a rookie 7-footer, “Ivan Make Basket” type. It defies logic.
Swaggy has a theory for why he’s been so bad at the only thing he does this year: It’s the rim’s fault!
Swaggy P on his season-long struggles:"Blame it on the rim. Next year, I got to treat her a little better. Take her on a date or something"
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 14, 2015
Rim seduction aside, it’s understandable why the Lakers want to move on from Nick in their quest to be, you know, an actually good basketball team. The obvious question is, who would take him? That 36 percent from three isn’t actually that bad, especially for a guy who can handle the ball, and before this year, his average from inside the arc was in the high 40’s, which is not that bad either. Still, he’s already 29. It’s not like he’s going to change at this point. But as more and more teams strive for the Spurs-ian ideal of pace-and-space, does Nick Young have a place in the league?
Oh, he has a place in the league all right. They’ve been waiting for him all along. The team that embraces chuckers, ignores basic concepts of team basketball and encourages Swaggy-esque antics.
Please, Phil Jackson. I’m sure you believe you can teach the triangle to anyone. Allow Nick Young to fulfill his destiny. Make Swaggy P a Knick.
