When the Lakers brought in new additions to the team this off-season, one of the names that many thought could help the Lakers put points on the board and take some of the scoring load away from Kobe Bryant was Nick Young. He was an under utilized off-guard in Philadelphia last season with the ability to create his own shots off the dribble.
However, results haven’t exactly met expectations and head coach Mike D’Antoni decided to move Young to the bench in favor of Xavier Henry, who has been very impressive in the short time that he’s been a Laker. For D’Antoni, the reason for the switch is two-fold: provide a spark in the starting unit with Henry, and to put Young in a better position to succeed with the second unit, according to Serena Winters.
D’Antoni says that he’s hoping they can get Nick Young in a spot w/ faster tempo where he can succeed
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 4, 2013
For Young, it’s been a bit frustrating that he hasn’t been able to produce to what many believed he was capable of doing. He feels that it’s only a matter of missing shots, and is open to the idea of coming off the bench, even if he doesn’t feel that it’s ideal.
“It’s just me missing shots, it happens, so me & coach talked about it & thought it’d be best for me to try something new” – Nick Young
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 4, 2013
Nick Young wasn’t too amped on being asked questions about moving to the bench but said there’s no bad blood w/ Xavier.
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 4, 2013
Henry has posted better per 36 numbers across the board than Young, and has shot better from the field and from the three point line (albeit a very sample size). What has been most instrumental to Henry’s success, however, has been his ability to get to the rim and the free throw line. Henry has taken 23 free throws on the year, the most on the team by a wide margin.
Whether the experiment will be a long term change remains to be seen, but it was clear that Young wasn’t working with the starting unit, and saw his minutes decline with his lack of productivity.
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VIDEO: Xavier Henry Describes Blow To The Head And Nine Stitches