Heading into last season, there was a lot of pressure on Nick Young. After enjoying a career year, Young signed a four-year contract with the Los Angeles Lakers, but was unable to build on his previous success. Young missed 37 games due to injury and was a constant subject of criticism of head coach Byron Scott.
— Have you seen the ‘Lakers Nation’ phone case? —
All this has led to speculation about Young’s future with the team as there have been reports that the Lakers are shopping Young this off-season. According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, Young has received no clarity on his situation from the Lakers:
Has Young received any clarity?
“No, I haven’t,” Young said. “You never know.”
Despite being unsure of his return, Young has taken Scott’s advice and has reportedly been working on the things Scott asked him to via Medina:
I’m taking his advice,” Young said of Scott, who has instructed him to improve his decision making, playing off-the-ball and off-ball defense. “I’m just working to get better. I’m getting my jump shots tighter and ball handling tighter. I’ve been running off of cones on the floor for a while now.”
It is unclear whether the Lakers would be able to ship out Young without giving up some sort of asset to sweeten the deal and the Lakers would probably prefer to hold on to the few young players it has. Even if he does return, Scott has said that Young could find himself struggling to get minutes if he doesn’t improve.
If Young has been working on those things this off-season, he could return to his 2014 form when he was viewed as one of the best sixth men in the NBA. His shooting is always an asset and there is still a possibility that he could be a major contributor for this franchise.
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