TORONTO — Like all of us, Thaddeus Young is a bit confused by his sporadic use early in the season.
After being acquired from San Antonio at the trade deadline last February, the veteran forward was excited about what he could bring to the Raptors in his first full season with the club, as was the team. In training camp just a few weeks ago, there was a feeling he would play a key role coming off the bench. It was what he expected when he re-signed with Toronto as an unrestricted free agent over the summer.
However, 10 days into the new campaign, that has not been the case. Over the team’s first six games, Young has clocked 32 minutes. He has yet to record more than 11 minutes in any contest and has only played five minutes in the last three games – a streak that included two DNP-CDs (did not play – coach’s decision) .
“I’m definitely surprised,” the 34-year-old told TSN after going five minutes without a score in Toronto’s 112-90 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night. “But things happen and you just have to deal with it.
“It’s tough. It’s definitely a tough situation to be in, but I just have to put up with it and keep being there for my teammates, keep trusting what I’m doing as a player, and hopefully the when the time comes, I’ll be ready to go over there and take care of business.
Young averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.3 minutes in 26 games for the Raptors last season. His addition, along with the second-half emergence of Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher, helped stabilize Toronto’s bench, which had struggled earlier in the year. The plan was for Young to reprise the role he played at the end of last season and in the playoffs, with him, Achiuwa, Boucher and offseason signing Otto Porter Jr. – who suffered a hamstring injury. and has yet to debut – forming the core of the second unit.
We don’t know what changed. Granted, Young hasn’t been particularly effective in his limited playing time. He scored seven points, fouled four and missed four of his five three-point attempts, and the Raptors were outscored by 28 points in 32 minutes. Still, the sample size is small and it’s hard to judge a player like Young over short periods of time.
Young impacts the game in a way that isn’t always reflected in the box score. He’s not the kind of player who will arrive and score as a group. Over his 16-year career, he’s carved out a place for himself as one of the best guys in the league – a high-IQ player who does a bit of everything on both sides of the court and makes his teammates better.
So far, head coach Nick Nurse has kept his rotation tight, with the bulk of the minutes going to his top seven players — the five starters plus Achiuwa and Boucher. From there, he is younger. Rookie center Christian Koloko and second-year point guard Dalano Banton are the only other players to appear in all six games. It could just be a matter of position, with Nurse prioritizing Koloko’s size or Banton’s quickness in some matchups. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, they may prefer to use those minutes to develop and see what they have in these young guys.
Of course, nothing is fixed. It’s a long season and the background of the nurse rotation tends to be fluid. He spoke to Young after last Monday’s game in Miami, the first of two straight DNPs for the veteran forward, and his message was, “stay ready.”
“I wouldn’t say I planned on not using him in Miami that night, that’s just how it went,” Nurse said last week. “We’ll see. We’re going to need him, there’s no doubt about it. It’s kind of a night to night thing.
Young’s routine hasn’t changed much, although his role has changed. On the contrary, he will be at the gym a little earlier or leave a little later to make sure he is doing his job. And while he may not be able to contribute as much as he would like on the pitch, he knows he can still make an impact.
“When you’re not playing, you have to find other ways to improve the team,” Young said. “One of my ways is ongoing leadership – helping the kids, making sure I give them directions on what to do, yelling at the guys on the bench, and then constantly staying in the kids’ ears. Some of the young guys come in and they lack confidence, but I try to keep developing them, helping them develop their game.”
He can’t help but have deja vu. Young found himself in a similar place a year ago, sitting on the bench and waiting for his opportunity. He was entering the final year of his contract when the rebuilding Spurs acquired him from Chicago under sign and trade DeMar DeRozan, and he did not consider their long-term plans. At one point, he appeared in four of San Antonio’s 28 games before being dealt to the Raptors for veteran goaltender Goran Dragic and a first-round pick.
Unlike Dragic, who requested personal time off when he came out of rotation in Toronto, Young held on. Despite his disappointment, he remained professional, continued to show leadership and mentor his young teammates, and worked hard to stay ready for his next opportunity, when and where it came.
Trade with Toronto was liberating, in that sense. It was perfect for the player and for the team. With the Raptors, he was playing regularly again, making an impact on the field while providing much-needed veteran leadership to one of the league’s promising clubs at a crucial time heading for a playoff push. That’s why he signed a new two-year, $16.3 million contract to stay with the franchise last July.
The irony of ending up in limbo isn’t lost on him, but he handles it the only way he knows how.
“It’s not my first rodeo,” Young said. “I’ve been there before, the same situation with Spurs last year, playing sporadically throughout the season. I got here and my [playing time] picked up. So you never know what can happen. Just stay ready at all times.
“Obviously in the last few games I haven’t had many minutes to make a real impact. But when I do, I’ll be there.
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