Coming into this season, his 3rd with the Lakers, Nick Young was put on notice. He ended his second season with the team firmly in Byron Scott’s doghouse and the only way out of it was to no longer play like Nick Young. Scott said he wanted Young to play better defense, to exercise more discretion offensively, and to be a more serious player. If he did these things, he might see more playing time. If he didn’t, well, the wood has a way of speaking to a player, as this coach is fond of saying.
So, what did young do? He tried to improve in the areas the coach asked him to. At the start of the year was often seen trying on defense and taking less crazy shots in isolation. While he wasn’t a playmaker, he was more willing to move the ball and resembled more of the player he was under Mike D’Antoni; more of the player who the Lakers thought they were keeping on when he resigned after his first with team.
It turns out, though, that really didn’t last. Since the first 10-15 games of the season, Young’s shooting has fallen off, his effort on defense has been spotty, and he has fallen into the trap of looking for his own shot — especially when working in isolation. A tiger doesn’t change its stripes, after all.
This type of play, combined with the mounting losses, led Byron Scott to effectively make Young a bit player. He’d see minutes when Kobe sat out or in blowouts, but his role as a rotation player was handed over to Anthony Brown.
In the month of January, Brown became a lineup fixture. He started when Kobe sat out and backed up #24 at SF when (Kobe) was in the lineup. Brown appeared in every January contest except the last one, on January 31st, against the Hornets. That game versus Charlotte Brown received a DNP-CD. Young, meanwhile, was back playing the role he did to start the season: Kobe’s back up at SF, logging 25 minutes in the process.
What changed? I don’t know for sure, but a day earlier, on January 30th, ESPN’s Marc Stein reported the following (emphasis mine):
Denver is making no secret of veteran forward JJ Hickson’s availability. Ditto for the Los Angeles Lakers and a number of veterans on their roster: Roy Hibbert, Brandon Bass, Nick Young and Lou Williams. We should note, however, that Hibbert possesses the only expiring contract in that quartet. Bass holds a $3.1 million player option for next season. . . .
Now, maybe Byron decided he was going to switch up his rotation again and bring Young back while sitting Brown. I don’t recall Byron making one of his “a change is coming” announcements which typically accompany this type of switch, however. Also, while Brown wasn’t setting the world on fire before his return to DNP-CD purgatory, the Lakers had performed well with Brown in the lineup in January*.
Young, meanwhile, is who he is. He will offer some hot shooting nights, can be a neutral/only a somewhat negative defender when fully engaged and trying hard (which is not too often), and can ensure a half-court set doesn’t die without a shot attempt when the clock is winding down. He has a totally different skill set than Brown — a catch and shoot, 3 and D wing — but one that is redundant with, well, nearly every other wing on the Lakers’ roster not named…Anthony Brown.
So, since I’m a Where in the World is Carmen San Diego super-sleuth mood, I can only assume Young is back in the lineup to get some minutes and prove that he’s a viable trade target. One could argue the timing of Stein’s report and Young’s insertion back into the rotation at the expense of Brown is a coincidence, but I’m not going to fully believe that even if (when?) someone refutes that.
The trading deadline is February 18th and Young was put back in the lineup on January 31st. At that point, the Lakers would have had 6 more games (now 4) before the trade deadline. The last Lakers’ game before the deadline is on February 10th. My guess is Young has until then to find a comfort zone as a rotation player because when the Lakers are back in action on February 19th I imagine Young will either be on another team or back on the bench in favor of Anthony Brown.
*In January, Brown averaged 5 points and 3 rebounds a game. He did, however, shoot 34.9% from behind the arc on nearly 3 attempts per game. What stood out during this month most, though, was how the Lakers, as a team, performed when Brown was in the game versus when he sat. In the 398 minutes Brown played that month, the Lakers were +7.9 points better offensively and +10.7 points better defensively, per 100 possessions, when Brown played. The team’s -1.9 efficiency differential while he was in the game was best on the team of any rotation player and the only player whose differential was under -3.5. Not all of this is attributed to Brown, of course. But these numbers also can’t just be ignored, even if the sample isn’t huge. Especially since they mirror trends we have discussed previously.
Anonymous says
Young by himself would not fetch anything of value maybe a vet with one less year on his deal.
bluehill says
Interesting article about other trades Lakers could make. Provides some rationale for why the other team would be interested.
http://www.lakersnation.com/5-trades-2015-16-lakers-should-consider-before-deadline/2016/02/02/
KO says
As the song goes:
Nuthing from nuthing
Is still nuthing.
Chris J says
Brown has upside, especially on defense. By trade or coaching call, let’s hope this Young run is over shortly after the break. The more time Brown sees, the better.
I’d really like to see Byron play Brown and Clarkson with Russell, Randle and Black for extended minutes, just to see what the kids can do together. Mix in Bass, some Lou Williams and whatever time Kobe gives you… even if they don’t win, at least that rotation would be more interesting to watch than any minutes given to Hibbert, Kelly, Young or (God forbid) Huertas.
KO says
Thought
Wiggins and Town are substantially better then Russell and Randle.
Yet Minnesota is not close to a winning team.
So really how close are the Lakers then?
Gene says
Ko…Then add Levine,Muhammad etc….Rubio can’t shoot but is a great passer….Minn has a great future…
rr says
Young: His contract will make it very tough to move him.
Wiggins/Towns: Both were #1 overall picks. There are misses at 1 (Bargnani, Olowokandi) but overall 1s usually are #1 for good reasons.
bluehill says
Minnesota has a lot of young talent. They will improve quickly.
Anon says
T pups beat clips. Nice, very nice…
J says
It’s kinda late for them to be show casing a guy who’s got so many DNP’s and still doesn’t do much once he actually enters the game. Add this to the list of mistakes byron and the FO have made this year
Renato Afonso says
Chris J,
Yes. That Russell/Clarkson/Brown/Randle/Black lineup deserves some minutes. Not all of them may become solid starters in playoff teams but I’m sure that all of them can become good rotation players in those same playoff teams. However, I do have one concern… I really don’t like that Russell/Clarkson tandem for long periods. Offensively, I have nothing to say as they can keep improving their skills and chemistry. The defense, on the other hand…
Clarkson has the tools to play defense and sometimes he does try hard. The staff needs to get him engaged on defense and teach him how to be at least an average defender. But Russell might be a defensive liability. Yes, 19 year old kids are not made players but their willingness to play defense and their defensive IQ is usually already there (what they improve is their experience as the level of competition gets higher). Russell doesn’t seem to try, doesn’t seem to know what to do and, most of all, doesn’t seem to have the lateral quickness needed to guard opposing point guards. Normally I would accept that if the rest of the team could compensate for that. Brown/Randle/Black do have the potential to be above average defenders. But if the backcourt has an average defender (at best) and a terrible one, there is no way to compensate for that.
How does this relates to Young? Simple. Young is the piece that doesn’t allow this lineup to get enough minutes together (that and the refusal of Byron Scott to give Black meaningful minutes). I have a really soft spot for Young. He’s obviously a “clown” but he really wanted to play for us and likes being here. He cares about the team. He may have a bad shot selection but he seems to treat everyone well. I think he deserves to go to a team that can really use his scoring off the bench. It would be good for him and for the Lakers.
Vasheed says
Trade Young, switch Russell’s jersey to “0”, sit back and profit. Time will tell if there are any takers.
J C says
Renato
Well said about Young. I like him for the same reasons.
In some ways he has shown himself to be a true professional this year.
His skillset would be better utilized elsewhere.
Unfortunately, the same thing can be said about Lou Williams.
The thing that worries me/occurs to me isn’t that Young is suddenly being showcased.
It’s that Tarik Black may be being showcased.
If the FO trades Black now, in large part because of Byron’s shortsightedness, I’m gonna be bitter.
bluehill says
The Lakers need more skilled players, which is obvious, but I’m concerned about how they go about getting them: quick fix through UFAs or more slowly through the draft and RFAs you can lure away. I think the focus should be on getting more better players than trying to improve the win column.
I prefer the latter because I don’t think the next two years offer a scenario to do what the Heat or the Celtics did in forming a big three. With Kobe’s retirement, we would need to sign 3 stars and I think that’s unlikely. I also don’t see signing KD here. He’s given no indication that playing in a big market has a special attraction for him and every indication that he wants to win a chip.
The draft approach will take longer, but should be more sustainable and leverages Mitch and his staff’s relative strength in identifying talent. Next year will be the first year where he will have a lot of flexibility in terms of salary cap and not having to build around Kobe.
So trading Nick or any of the vets is a means to an end rather than the end itself in terms of creating options through second round picks or young players languishing on the bench of win-now teams, which will yield benefits down the road.
It also forces Byron to play the young guys rather than rely on the vets, which I’ve been asking for since the beginning of the season.
Beating the Twolves was nice, but we probably would not have done it w/out Kobe’s 38 points or Lou’s 20 points. I would rather have the Twolves victory over the Clips led by Wiggins, Towns and LaVine. The Twolves record isn’t that much better than ours, but talent wise they are ahead and in terms of experience, their young players are way ahead of ours.
Anonymous says
ESPN Article: 5 Most Over Rated Players
1. Hassan Whiteside: Heat give up fewer points and grab more rebounds when he sits
2. Melo: Poor offensive efficiency.
3. Enes Kanter: Very poor defensive player.
4. Brandon Knight: Offensively inefficient and poor defense.
5. Rajon Rondo: High assists with low overall impact
Probably a bad thing that our FO has tried to sign Melo, was long rumored to be interested in Rondo and are indicated to be targeting Whiteside this summer.
Someone please tell Jim to stop recruiting players by watching SportsCenter highlights.
matt says
I’ve said before once byron figures out that roy hibbert needs to be benched we are gonna win more games,,,,
whatever happens I’d like to see them trade for one of denvers first round picks the one they go from rockets or grizzlies. Couple draft steals look like, guards, hield, d.jackson, korkmaz, maybe one could be snatched here.
BigCitySid says
-@ Ko, Wiggins and KAT are going to be the featured pieces on the T’Wolves. The “plan” is for Randle & DAR to be supporting pieces on the Lakers behind 2 superstars.
Anonymous says
The “plan” is for Randle & DAR to be supporting pieces on the Lakers behind 2 superstars.
__
As long as one of the ‘superstars’ can score 38 points a game we’ll beat teams like the ‘Wolves.
matt says
That free agent list a couple post back had whiteside listed like #23 on free agent list, also behind ezeli and mosgov, they say he’s a risky sign. I say go bargain hunting and sign 2 good centers.
Whiteside did look really good against the lakers, but our center spot is really weak
matt says
I like the comments on tarik black, he looks like a really good backup center, they need to play him more to prep for next years role, and if he plays good he shouldn’t have to swet it out in preseason again. He should be on the team next year at least as a 3rd option.
matt says
Blake Griffin for kevin durant trade rumors can only be coming from clippers fans, that stuff doesn’t appeal to the thunder at all, most likely he takes the 5 year deal and stays put, why would thunder have ibaka and Griffen. Clippers fans keep dreamin.
Craig W. says
IMO, Black will see more minutes after the trade deadline. Before that time we have other objectives and don’t want to deal with requests for Black from other clubs.
stats says
Craig – Hope you are right. I think we all want more Black.
Anon – I like your list of ‘overrated’ Every time we heard rumor of us signing Melo, I cringed. I don’t see him leading an NBA team to the promised land as top dog.
As for Young, I like him for all the same reasons (he seems to love being a Laker). I was thrilled by his effort on defense early in the year. He could be a really valuable sub on a playoff team. I hope he gets that chance.
Renato – Agree on Clarkson. Should be a good defender but isn’t. I don’t get it…
T. Rogers says
Matt,
If OKC knew Durant was walking wouldn’t they want to get something for him? Griffin and Ibaka are assets. Either can be flipped for other players. Its not like OKC is a major landing spot for free agents. Better to have trade chips to get quality players than open cap space that no high level free agents will take.
Anonymous says
Better to have trade chips to get quality players than open cap space that no high level free agents will take.
___
Jim Buss: ‘Now you tell me?’
matt says
Clippers fans keep dreamin
J C says
Craig
I just hope the “more minutes” Black sees after the trade deadline isn’t with another team.
Anonymous says
Has Mitch ever discussed why he only gave Clarkson a two year deal? It always struck me as odd that the FO believed in Jordan enough to go out of their way to acquire him but then gave him only a two year deal.
I know its not the end of the world as his cap hit is artificially lower for the Lakers these next two years. But his cap hit, if he is traded is much higher, which might limit his ability to be moved should an appropriate deal pop up.
My point is that this FO has seemingly prioritized downside protection on many of their contracts — all in the spirit of financial flexibility. Witness so many one year deals. Or, lower cost deals with player options (Davis and Bass come to mind) which almost invite the players to leave for more dollars. Hill’s deal comes to mind as that was also not attractive to trade due to its design.
It’s almost as if the FO obtains players then signs them to deals which minimize their ability to be traded for assets. It’s weird.
LKK says
Hmmm… Over rated? Those 5 players sound like a decent team to me.
1. Hassan Whiteside: Heat give up fewer points and grab more rebounds when he sits
2. Melo: Poor offensive efficiency.
3. Enes Kanter: Very poor defensive player.
4. Brandon Knight: Offensively inefficient and poor defense.
5. Rajon Rondo: High assists with low overall impact
1. Could it be that Hassan is playing against the opposing team’s best players most of the time?
2.Melo is much maligned by the purists and efficiency experts. I see a gifted scorer and a player who you can throw the ball to in a close game.
3.Kanter is huge. Young, too. There’s room for improvement.
Rondo and Knight both have value in the right situation, IMO.
ESPN and their lists leave me cold. Seems like click bait to me.
Mid-Wilshire says
Anon,
According to the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement (if I’m reading it correctly), 2 years is the required contract for any rookie. Here’s the verbiage:
“(d) Rookie Scale Contracts: required term: two years, plus two one-year team
options for a third and fourth year, respectively”
So the answer to your question — Why did Mitch only give Clarkson a 2-year deal — is because he was constrained by the rules. Now that Clarkson’s 2 years are almost up, JC can start making considerably more money next year and in future years. But Mitch was not trying to finesse anything.
He was just playing by the rules.
Vasheed says
@Mid,
Not sure if anything changed but, isn’t A. Brown on a 3 year contract?
Mid-Wilshire says
Vid,
According to basketball-reference.com, Anthony Brown’s 1st 2 years are guaranteed (at $700K and $850K). The 3rd year (at $1 Mill) is on a team option which is still in line with the CBA.
If I’m reading it wrong, please let me know.
Baylor Fan says
Clarkson’s contract situation may not be too bad if he is willing to wait until the Lakers have resolved all of their other contracts for next season. At that point, they can offer whatever they would like and go over the cap if they need to. Here is where the “poison pill” contract may come in. If Clarkson is offered a contract early in the process and signs it, then the Lakers will have a fixed number of days to match the offer. That would make his salary count against the cap and the Lakers would not be able to go over the cap with his salary. I will let FB&G legal eagles correct me if needed. The end result could be deciding whether or not to keep Clarkson or hope for a free agent to sign.