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5 Under the Radar Keys Entering the Season For the Indiana Pacers

By Jordan Yant

Apr 14, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guards C.J. Miles (0) and Rodney Stuckey (2) react to the Pacers taking a commanding lead in double overtime against the Washington Wizards at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Washington 99-95 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 14, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers guards C.J. Miles (0) and Rodney Stuckey (2) react to the Pacers taking a commanding lead in double overtime against the Washington Wizards at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Indiana defeats Washington 99-95 in double overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /
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Joe Young’s Point Guard Play

Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Joseph Young (3) drives to the basket against Wisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky (44) during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 22, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; Oregon Ducks guard Joseph Young (3) drives to the basket against Wisconsin Badgers forward Frank Kaminsky (44) during the second half in the third round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament at CenturyLink Center. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports /

Joe Young can do one thing really well; score. Larry Bird has made it obvious that he expects the rookie to play from the get go and he figures to get time at the back-up point guard position.

Not a natural point guard by any stretch of the imagination, he will look to be instant offense when he enters the game. In an era of the evolution of point guards, traditional point guards are not an absolute must have any longer.

His senior season at Oregon he spent a majority of his time at the point guard position- compared to spending the majority of his collegiate career at the 2. He averaged 20.7 points per game and 3.7 assists per game en route to becoming the Pac 12 Conference Player of the Year.  He shot an outstanding 45% from the field and 36% percent from 3-point land.

His impact on the NBA level is yet to be determined. His strong Orlando Summer League showing had many talking about him as the steal of the draft. In fact, his rookie compatriots and peers voted  him the biggest steal of the draft at the rookie symposium this summer.

If he comes out and produces right off the bat, that could be huge boost to the second unit. There is a great opportunity for him to come in and impress from the start and earn a spot in the rotation. Worst case is he struggles mightily and doesn’t get any time, which means Toney Douglas may earn a spot on the roster as an insurance policy.

But Larry Bird is high on the young guard and normally scoring is a skill that translates to the pro game. He shows a great propensity to be a threat of the pick and roll and he will factor into any success the Pacers bench will have. That “microwave guy” is needed off of any bench and if he lives up to his twitter handle, @joeybuckets could enjoy a long prosperous career in Indiana.

Next: Chase Budinger's Health vs. Solomon Hill's Consistency

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