Indiana Pacers: Thaddeus Young's Understated Impact
Thaddeus Young might not stand out in the box score this year, but his solid all-around play has kept the Indiana Pacers in the playoff race.
Thaddeus Young spent most of the 2015-16 season on the trading block as the Brooklyn Nets looked to move their veteran players for future pieces. The Nets traded Young to the Indiana Pacers for the 20th pick on draft night.
The move allowed Nate McMillan to move Paul George to small forward full-time and slot Young in at power forward.
Thaddeus has started all 22 games for the Pacers so far this season. He has been valuable to the Pacers on both ends of the floor. On defense, he plays above his size and guards big men.
This allows George, who has previously expressed concern about guarding power forwards, to lock down players on the wing. On offense, he has improved his three-point shot and overall shot selection. Here is a look at how Young has helped keep the Pacers in the playoff race so far.
Defense: The Three-Pointer Stops Here
Despite being undersized for a power forward at 6’8″ and 221 pounds, Thaddeus Young is a solid defender. He has the foot speed to stick to forwards behind the three-point line and keep stretch-4s in check. Young also holds his own against bigger players in the post.
Players have struggled to score against Young this season. He is holding opponents to shooting 40.8 percent from the field according to NBA.com’s Defense Tracking Data, which is 4.2 percent below their season average.
Young’s biggest defensive strength is his ability to stick to opponents behind the three-point line. His defensive match-ups have shot just 25.0 percent on a healthy 4.4 three-points attempts this season–a staggering 9.9 percent below league average.
Big men who are used to wide-open threes are often unexpectedly contested by Young sprinting out to the perimeter.
Offense: Limiting Bad Shots and Going Behind the Arc
Thaddeus Young has shied away from three-pointers prior to this season. After shooting 3.7 attempts per game from behind the arc in the 2013-14 season, Young averaged 1.5 attempts per game in 2014-15 and just 0.4 attempts per game last season.
His offensive game instead centered around his post game and solid mid-range jumper.
Young took 77.7 percent of his shots from nine feet or closer last year and made 55.5 percent of them, according to the NBA’s shot tracking data. Of his remaining shots, Young took 14.1 percent of his attempts from 15-19 feet and made 43.4 percent of them.
That efficiency was in the top half among players who took one or more shots per game from that range and put him slightly below Chris Paul and slightly ahead of LaMarcus Aldridge in mid-range efficiency.
However, he only attempted 30 three-pointers all year as he kept his shooting mostly within the arc.
This season, Young has traded almost all of those mid-range looks for three-pointers. He has taken 44 attempts from behind the arc and made a solid 40.8 percent of them according to the NBA’s shot tracking data–by far his career high.
After attempting 136 shots from 15-19 feet last season, Young is down to 14 attempts from that range this year through 22 games.
In addition to his increased shooting from behind the arc, Young has maintained his efficiency and volume around the basket. He has taken 134 shots from within nine feet this year and made 62.7 percent of them.
His ability to score around the rim remains solid, and his increase in three-point attempts has improved his efficiency. His True Shooting Percentage is currently 58.0 percent, which is also his career high.
Rebounding: Room for Improvement
Young is also a surprisingly good rebounder given his size, but his rebounding numbers have dipped from last season. He averaged a career-high nine rebounds per game in Brooklyn and grabbed 15.6 percent of available rebounds.
That was 18th best in the league out of 123 forwards who started 10 or more games according to NBA.com’s rebound tracking data.
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This season, he is averaging six rebounds per game and is grabbing only 11.0 percent of available rebounds. Part of this decline may be due to no longer playing alongside Brook Lopez, a center who has struggled to rebound in the past. However, Indiana has been struggling on the glass this season and will need to see greater contributions from Young on the glass going forward.
The Pacers rank 22nd in the league in rebounding this season. If Young can approach his rebounding numbers from last season, that will help Indiana balance out their rebounding ledger.
Finding and Filling His Role
Thaddeus Young is filling a different role for the Pacers than his role in Brooklyn last year. He is averaging fewer than 10 field goal attempts for the first time since his rookie season. He is also scoring fewer than 12 points per game since his first season in the league.
Despite the dip in his scoring numbers, Young has been very effective for Indiana so far this season. His ability to guard bigger players allows the Pacers to use Paul George more effectively.
On the offensive end, his efficiency and good shot selection complement the rest of the Pacers’ starting lineup.
Thaddeus Young may be new to the Pacers, but he has not struggled to adjust to his new team. His numbers may not jump out of the box score, but he will be an important part of Indiana’s push for the playoffs.
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