Love/Hate series: Joe Young

Throughout the offseason, we’ll be analyzing what we love and hate about everybody on the Pacers roster. Although there’s an abundance of guards who demand the ball, Joe Young could find a spot in the rotation if he is a facilitator.

Joe Young is entering his third season in Indiana after being drafted in the second round in 2015. The point guard always seems to get lost in the shuffle when it comes to the backcourt. He was primed to take on a larger role after the team let Jeff Teague and Aaron Brooks walk in free agency, but now, that no longer seems to be the case. Cory Joseph and Darren Collison were brought in, and Lance Stephenson wants to play the point too, apparently.

If the Pacers roll with this surplus of guards, it may be another year of limited playing time for Young. But before we jump into the rotation, we can at least consider the pros and cons of having Joey Buckets in the rotation.

Love: Scoring, positivity

The nickname “Joey Buckets” isn’t a coincidence. In college, Young averaged 17.5 points per game, including 20.7 points per game in his final season. He also showed his durability that year as he played almost entire games, averaging 36.7 minutes out of 40.

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In the Summer League, Young always plays above the field and sticks out, but we haven’t seen that translate to the pros quite yet. One would like to believe that if given the opportunity, Young could provide help off the bench next season. He is fun to watch when he is in, and he never backs down, just ask Brandon Jennings. With Lance already on the roster, the Pacers could be the most exciting fringe team in the league. Sure, they may lose way more than they win, but at least they’ll have fun doing it.

Perhaps the thing to like most about Young is his positive spirit. Although he hasn’t seen much time in the NBA, he continues to work his tail off and stay positive. His Twitter (@JoeyBuckets3) and Instagram (@mightyjoyoung3) are filled with videos of his workouts and tireless work ethic. Even if Joe doesn’t see the court, it’s not because he’s lazy.

Hate: Inconsistency

You know how he averaged 17.5 points in college? Well, his career high in the NBA is 16, which came in his rookie campaign. Inconsistency has been the biggest problem facing Young. He must prove that he can be a reliable option each night if he wants serious considering in the rotation.

He is only shooting 36.5 percent in the NBA. This is a significant drop from his 45.3 percent mark in college. To make matters worse, Young hit 39 percent of his 3-point attempts in college and is hitting just 21 percent so far with Indiana. This is not what the organization envisioned when he was drafted in 2015.

He looks timid and overwhelmed at times, which is disastrous for a point guard.

Next: What to love and hate about TJ Leaf

Overall, I am a huge fan of Joe Young, so I hope he can find a way to get on the court next season. It is difficult to value an undersized guard that can’t shoot. Hopefully Young can step up in 2017 and stick around.