After leading the Los Angeles Lakers in scoring during the 2013-14 NBA season, Nick Young had a rough past year, seeing his numbers go down as well as spending nearly half the season with injury problems.
With the NBA Finals in progress, Young has had an eventful off-season. In addition to recently celebrating his 30th birthday, Young proposed to his girlfriend Iggy Izalea.
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On Thursday, he appeared on ESPN’s SportsNation and answered a few questions from co-host Max Kellerman. When asked which defender he loves to score on the most, Young responded with one of his teammates:
Kobe Bryant.
Although his personality might anger and confuse some, Young sees himself a competitor and wants to score to help his team win. He had difficulty with that of course over the past season. His season began with an torn ligament which caused him to miss the team’s first ten games. The injury occurred during training camp while Young attempted to defend Bryant.
Young’s future with the team remains unclear at the moment. He signed a four-year deal that included a player option last off-season. However, the team has been rumored to be interested in shopping his contract around. Head coach Byron Scott also wants to see Young improve other facets of his game in order to earn more playing time.
The Lakers want Young to be more than just a scorer. Scott believes Young could become an important factor once again should he put in the work. Young talked about his off-season training and mentioned trying to get better at working off the ball. Despite not receiving any clarity about his future with the Lakers, Young hopes to put the past year behind him as he works his way back onto the court.
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