Nick Young came under fire last season for taking the ‘Swaggy P’ persona a little too far and not producing results on the basketball floor. Head coach Byron Scott quickly became tired of Young’s act on and off the court resulting in an ultimatum being given to the veteran guard/forward after the season officially came to a close.
Young was told that he needs to change things up and focus on improving his game on both ends of the floor. Coach Scott emphasized improving defensively above all or Young would struggle to get minutes during the 2015-16 campaign.
Apparently, Young is ready to change his ways and put the drama behind him as he told Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times:
On Wednesday, Young said he resented “just getting caught up in all the drama, and letting it get to me. That’s not me. I normally do stuff and just brush it off.”
Young was asked if the ‘Swaggy P’ persona is a thing of the past, via Bresnahan:
“Nah. I’m still ‘Swaggy P,'” he said. “I don’t like being ‘Nicholas.’ You know, I’m the man when it’s all said and done. I’m just a cool guy. It’s just in my DNA.”
With the Los Angeles Lakers bringing in reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year, Lou Williams, the pressure is on for Young. Minutes will be hard to come by during the regular season with Williams being a viable option to fill the role that Young has played over the past two seasons.
Fortunately, if Young does live up to the challenge provided by Coach Scott, the Lakers could have two proven scorers off the bench this season. Williams and Young may turn out to be a solid duo in the second unit making Los Angeles that much more dynamic this year.