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Indiana Pacers Love/Hate Series: Thaddeus Young

By Aaron Eamer

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)
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) /
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Thaddeus Young Indiana Pacers
CLEVELAND, OH – APRIL 29: Thaddeus Young #21 of the Indiana Pacers grabs the rebound against the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Seven of Round One of the 2018 NBA Playoffs on April 29, 2018, at Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Liam Kyle/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What we don’t love about Thaddeus Young

In an awkward turn of events, what we love about someone can also link quite significantly to what we hate about them. Think about that ex-girlfriend you had once, the one with the awful laugh that you couldn’t stand… Then how you missed it after she broke up with you. Just me? Alright. You get the point though.

Thaddeus Young is consistent across the board and quietly does his job. It allows the rest of the guys to do what they want without a battle of egos. But in the NBA, to be able to justify your contract, sometimes you just have to have that one big contributory area that gets you the bigger deal you’re after.

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Thaddeus Young doesn’t really have a skill that he does substantially better than other players. Consistency can also mean a lack of progress.

Last season the Pacers ranked 22nd in total rebounding out of the 30 teams in the NBA and 25th in defensive rebounding. This was an improvement over the 2017 season in total rebounding. But defensively, Indiana regressed slightly, the total rebounding improvement came from the boost that Domantas Sabonis gave the team on the offensive glass. Thaddeus Young though, as the primary veteran in the frontcourt, didn’t contribute enough on either end of the floor on the boards.

You might say that it doesn’t matter who grabs the defensive rebounds. And you’d be right. Unfortunately, the Pacers were way down in 21st in the league on giving up offensive rebounds to the opposition, and if Myles Turner’s expected breakout is put on hold for another year then you’d likely want your veteran to step-up. Thad Young hasn’t done that yet.

Just one extra defensive rebound per game could change a lot for a squad who had a margin of victory over the 82 games of only 1.38 points, just below that of the Denver Nuggets, who didn’t even make the playoffs.

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