Indiana Pacers Love/Hate Series: Thaddeus Young

By Aaron Eamer | Jul 29, 2018

CLEVELAND, OH - APRIL 25: Thaddeus Young #21 of the Indiana Pacers looks on during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 25, 2018 at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

1 of 4

CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 25: Thaddeus Young #21 of the Indiana Pacers looks on during the game against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Five of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs between the Indiana Pacers and Cleveland Cavaliers on April 25, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

No NBA player is perfect, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. In this love/hate series, we will review those attributes for each player on the Indiana Pacers. In this installment, we will take a look at Thaddeus Young.

Alongside Cory Joseph, Thaddeus Young had a big decision to make in the off-season: pick up his $13.7 million player option and remain with the Indiana Pacers, or test out the free agency market? On June 22^nd, Thad posted on Twitter, “Every NBA player wants long terms deals and more years in places they like” in response to another user’s comment that the 6’8” forward deserved a new long-term deal – a fair statement.

My thought process though on the issue… Well, here it was:

Ten days later, Thaddeus Young opted in and set up what is going to be a big year for him.

Thad will be 31 years old by the time the next free agency window rolls around. Looking for a long-term deal at the conclusion of this season could be the last long-term deal of a career that started back in 2007 as the 12^th overall pick. But then again, one-year deals have seemingly become the norm this off-season, so how will next summer play out? Who knows, but this season is still very important for Young,

Let’s take a look at what Thad Young offers the Pacers this year, both the good and the bad, and see if we should expect his role to change from years past.

Home/Pacers News