Joe Young finally put together some good runs of play in 2017-18. Let’s look back on his season and what it could mean for his future.
Joe Young was a member of the Indiana Pacers his first two NBA seasons, but beyond coming in during garbage time he wasn’t used much. He played a total of 519 minutes across his rookie and sophomore seasons and never really got much of a chance to show what he could do.
This past season, Young finally got a chance to show what he can do, acquiring playing time to the tune of 558 minutes, more than his first two seasons combined. He also started his first ever NBA game back in January when the Pacers smacked the Suns at home.
But Young only played in just under two-thirds of all the Pacers games. He is extremely limited defensively and it was hard for him to carve out a role in a crowded backcourt. His flashes of success running the offense made it a bummer that he didn’t see more playing time, but with the Pacers rolling and every game being important, it was hard to find extra development time for Young outside of garbage time.
So what is next for the youngster? He turns 26 soon and his future is potentially up in the air. Let’s look back at Young’s season and figure out what it could mean going forward.