Nick Young is doing his best to fill the void left by Kobe Bryant, and on Friday night he did more that.
Young helped the Lakers in their 104-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves with 25 points on 9-14 shooting and four three-pointers. The Lakers relied on Young for most of the game on the offensive end and his activity on defense allowed the team to get into the open court.
The former USC guard brought in amazing energy off the bench and his offensive explosion was both fun to watch and much needed for the injury plagued Lakers. After the game, head coach Mike D’Antoni spoke to the media and talked about the impact Young has made on the team.
D'Antoni on Nick Young: "It's a great surprise…..He is a joy to coach."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 21, 2013
D'Antoni on Nick Young: "I could not ask for a better player, human being and teammate."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 21, 2013
D'Antoni: "He (Nick Young) rubs off on me and makes me happy, I know that."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 21, 2013
D'Antoni: "Swaggy's out there doing his thing (at shootaround) & he's dunking & yelling at assistant coaches & it gets everybody up"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 21, 2013
Clearly, D’Antoni is quickly turning into a Nick Young fan and loves the energy the veteran brings to this young team.
With so many young and impressionable players on the team this season, Young’s impact is being felt and is not going unnoticed by D’Antoni.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Lakers vs. Timberwolves: Nick Young Is Swaggy Rambo, Jokes Around With Xavier Henry