Joe Young never quite lived up to the hype for the Indiana Pacers. In the Chinese Basketball Association, he is finding his groove as a scorer.
Every summer league, Joe Young was a star for the Indiana Pacers. He always showed flashes of being a brilliant scorer and offense initiator, and it gave fans hope that he could one day become a useful point guard for the team.
But when the real games started, it never worked out. Young didn’t get a ton of opportunities in his first two seasons, and for good reason; he wasn’t hitting his shots. In his rookie year, he made 36.7 percent of his field goals, and that figure dropped to 36.1 percent in year two. That wasn’t cutting it.
In year three, Young stepped up somewhat, but not enough. He was finally able to score, hitting 38 percent of his threes and 43 percent of his shots overall. But he never did much on the defensive end and couldn’t initiate an offense. He was a professional scorer, but he never was good enough at that to become a rotation player.
Because of this, Joe Young had his team option declined and, when nobody else came calling, he went to play in China. In China, former NBA players rack up tons of points and look like stars. Joe Young is no exception:
Another 40-point game for Joe Young in China (16-27 FG, 3-6 3P, 40 pts vs Beijing), his third in a row. @TEastNBA
— Dmitry Planidin (@DmitryPlanidin) November 4, 2018
Yep, you read that correctly. Three 40 point games… in a row.
Are you ready for this? Joe Young is currently averaging 31 points per game to go with 4.5 assists. He has found his place, and he is dominating.
He’s not the only former Pacer playing well in China, either. Al Jefferson is currently posting a statine of 11.7 points per game and grabbing 7.8 rebounds. He’s not dominating like Joe Young, but he’s still playing well.
It’s always great to see former Pacers succeeding, even if it is outside of the NBA. Young and Jefferson are no exceptions, and their stat lines are worth keeping up with.