In 2014, there were rumors that the Phoenix Suns and the Philadelphia 76ers were preparing a deal. The 76ers wanted to trade Thaddeus Young, who had combat value in the team, to the Suns in exchange for future assets.
In terms of purpose, it is not difficult to understand the ideas of both sides. The 76ers are eager to rebuild, while the Suns want to compete for the playoff opportunities immediately.
But in the end, this rumor was just a rumor after all, and the transaction did not happen. The 76ers continued to rebuild, and in the next four seasons they only won 19, 18, 10, and 28 wins. The Suns were even worse. After failing to compete for the playoffs, including that season, the 76ers were even worse. The team will go through seven seasons of darkness.
“When I got on the phone with the Suns’ general manager and coaches, the first thing I said was, ‘We finally have a chance to work together.'”
“It was a wonderful time and a beautiful experience.”
“I’m happy to be part of the Sunshine Team and I’m ready to get to work.”
And in the 2024 season, Young, who was bought out by the Raptors after being traded to the Nets, chose to join the Suns, choosing the team he had a chance to join 10 years ago.
As one of the few players in the 2007 draft who is still struggling, what ability does Young have to survive in the league for so long? Now 10 years have passed, and Young has turned from 25 to 35 years old. How much fuel does Young still have in the tank?
Changes in the atmosphere of the alliance
“I’ve known Thaddeus since I was 15 years old.”
“We’ve been competing against each other since high school.”
“He is a guy who can play multiple positions both offensively and defensively.”
“At the same time, he also has a golfing quotient.”
“The current league is starting to move towards not assigning positions to players.”
“I think he would be a great fit.”
At the same time as Young, Kevin Durant, who was also drafted in 2007, said this about his current teammates. Indeed, in 2007, when the league was still full of “you can play whatever position you are of any height”, it was really difficult to define what type of player Young was.
A left-handed player of 6 feet 8 inches (approximately 203 centimeters), with his height in the NBA at the time, he should have been a small forward on the wing. However, Young spent most of his time in college as a power forward. The position player’s stronger athletic ability makes up for his lack of height, and his offensive skills that can be used inside and outside also make him difficult to defend. In addition, the 76ers who drafted him at the time also had a relatively small lineup, allowing Young to stay. Being in the power forward position where he is most comfortable also magnifies his own advantages.
After that, with the Heat’s quick counterattack and the Warriors’ three-point wave, they were able to establish a dynasty. All teams followed suit, causing the entire league’s offensive rhythm to continue to speed up, and more and more emphasis was placed on speed and three-pointers. . The idea of building a team for many teams is no longer based on height and position, but a group of players with similar heights and intelligence, each responsible for different tasks on the court.
Such a change is becoming increasingly unfriendly to a 7-foot-long man who moves slowly and often lives in the penalty area. However, a striker like Young, who has outside lines and mobility, and was traditionally regarded as “awkwardly positioned” in the past, has become With more opportunities, he even had the opportunity to serve as a center in a small-ball lineup when he was with the Spurs.
Thinking about it now, maybe he and KD are the pioneers of this type of positionless players, and it is this wave of trends that allows Young to remain popular in the player market.
So, is the reason why Young can survive in a highly competitive league purely due to “good luck”? This is not always the case.
I think Young can seize this trend and have a 16-year career mainly by relying on two points, transformation and attendance.
The first transformation, from a ball-holding forward to a fourth-in-command
You can tell from the fact that he and KD were different in high school that Young is a versatile forward player. In his senior season, he averaged 26.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 4.3 steals and 3.6 blocks per game, showing his all-round dominance. After entering college, Young can basically maintain his 14.4 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2 assists. results, but he is not the team’s first ball-handling point and offensive option, which makes him behind KD in terms of statistics. His position can be played in three or four positions, and he was also evaluated by ball commentators before the draft. There will be risks of being wrong, which all lead to the very different draft picks of Young and KD. KD was selected by the SuperSonics at the second position, while Young was selected by the 76ers only at the 12th pick.
However, the concerns of the football critics are indeed justified, because Young is a 6-foot-8 small forward, but does not have delicate dribbling skills, which makes it difficult for him to become an ace-level ball handler on the offensive end. Compared with KD, who can rely on his height to create mismatches and allow himself to have shooting space, Young is obviously not as stable and good at mid-to-long distances. The body shape and physical fitness that were relied upon for survival in high school are no longer so advantageous in a higher-level environment.
2024-03-28 12:39:22
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