Pacers Player Review: Time for Joe Young to step up

The next installment of our season in review looks at Joe Young, who just completed his 2nd year as a pro with the Indiana Pacers. Things haven’t been all roses and sunshine for Young, but his book is likely not finished.

Joe Young might’ve had one of my favorite non-crucial story lines for the Indiana Pacers this year (non-Lance Stephenson edition).

Young, who employs full court pressure regardless of the score, mixed it up with noted trash talker Brandon Jennings. Jennings took exception to the weird thing Joe Young was doing (teammates explained to Jennings later that this was called “defense”, and is actually an expected part of basketball), and pushed and jawed his way to both of them getting thrown out of the game. The next time the Pacers and Knicks played, Aaron Brooks got the night off as Young handled the backup point guard minutes — against Brandon Jennings. Stay petty, NBA.

Outside of that, Young didn’t provide much for the Indiana Pacers this year. He had an opportunity to break into the rotation, playing 15 of the first 21 games of the year. He only played in 18 of the last 61, and did little to impress throughout the year.

When all was said and done, Young wound up holding down the role of 15th man for the Pacers, and that of best hair on the bench.

Significant Digits

21.7% 3-Point Shooting

It seems wildly unlikely that Young can stick in the NBA if he can’t shoot 3’s. He works hard on defense, and cut his turnovers down to almost nothing (albeit in a small sample size), but he can’t be a zero for an NBA offense. This was his 2nd straight year at exactly 21.7 percent, and he would probably need at least a 12-15 percent spike (leaving him between 34 and 37 percent) to be someone opposing defenses have to honor and to be helpful as an off the ball player.

Joe Young’s Season Summed up in One Archer GIF

If you followed the Indiana Pacers, you needed a sense of humor. Laugh so you don’t cry. And what’s funnier than Archer? Nothing. Nothing is the answer.

Sweatin’ Bullets

sweatin bullets /

Sweatin’ Bullets is an 8p9s tradition started by Jonny Auping in which we offer standalone facts, observations, and commentary, often devoid of context or fairness.

Joey Buckets had an offensive rating of 93 and a defensive rating of 111.
Young, after tearing it up in summer league his rookie year, struggled more much in his sophomore season and averaged only 11 points.
Young was buried in the ball handler rotation behind Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey, and Aaron Brooks. Ellis is the only one of the 4 under contract for next year.

One Key Question

Can Joe Young shoot and score well enough to be a rotation level NBA player?

The Situation: Young has a mere 519 minutes in his NBA career. He’ll be 25 next year and in his 3rd year. The Indiana Pacers have team options on his contract the next two years.

Best-case Scenario: The absolute best case scenario is that all Young needs are real minutes. He’s yet to really have a set role in the rotation throughout his career. It’s possible that, with more minutes, Young’s shooting might improve to an acceptable level, and he might get more comfortable making plays around the basket. If he can be an efficient scorer, there might be a place for him in the league still.

Worst-case Scenario: The Pacers decline his contract tender, and the NBA as a whole agrees. Young winds up playing somewhere overseas (or in the D-League), and his most memorable Pacers moment winds up being when a washed-up Brandon Jennings pushed him for playing D.

Next: C.J. Miles to opt out of final year

Prediction: The Pacers give Young one more year, and one more shot at minutes, but he’ll have a short leash.

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