4 former Indiana Pacers who could help the team in 2021
By Luke Parrish
Thaddeus Young is the perfect player for the Indiana Pacers
In his three seasons with the Pacers, Thaddeus Young was the definition of consistency. He scored 11.8 points per game while pouring in 6.3 4ebounds, 2.0 assists, and 1.6 steals. Young also managed to knock down 34.6 percent of his threes, the highest mark of his career between the five teams he’s suited up for.
Young was also healthy, which is not typical of Pacers starters. In those three seasons, he played and started in 236 games, missing just 10 games in that span. He missed just one game in each of his final two seasons in Indiana, both of which came on the last day of the regular season in which he was rested for the playoffs.
Thad has spent the past two seasons with the Bulls where he has averaged double figures once again, which he has done since 2008. However, and almost more impressively, Young has done it off the bench, for the most part, starting in just 39 games over the past two seasons. It was the first time since 2012 that Thaddeus Young was not part of the starting lineup.
His departure from Indiana has left the Pacers with a massive hole in the lineup. He was going to lose the starting job to Domantas Sabonis eventually so letting him leave in free agency was the best option for everyone at the time. Now, the Pacers could desperately use Young’s experience and impact in the second unit.
A trade with the Bulls to bring Young back to Indiana would be my favorite move of the offseason, regardless of whatever else happens. It may require Jeremy Lamb and Aaron Holiday to be shipped away but that would be worth it for Indiana.