Raptors’ Young Stays Professional, Ready Despite Lack of Game Time – TSN.ca

TORONTO — Like the rest of us, Thaddeus Young is a bit confused from his sporadic use early in the season.

After being acquired from San Antonio at the close of trading last February, the veteran forward was excited about what he could bring to the Raptors in his first full season with the club, and the team as well. Just a few weeks ago at the training camp, you could have guessed that he would play a key role from the bench. That was his expectation when he re-signed with Toronto as an unrestricted free agent over the summer.

However, 10 days into the new campaign this was not the case. In the team’s first six games, Young averaged 32 minutes. He has never completed more than 11 minutes in any competition and has played just five minutes in the last three games – a stretch that included two DNP CDs (not played – coach’s decision).

“I’m definitely surprised,” the 34-year-old told TSN after playing five goalless minutes in Toronto’s 112-90 loss to Philadelphia on Friday night. “But things happen and you just have to live with it.

“It’s difficult. It’s definitely a difficult situation but I have to deal with it and keep being there for my team-mates, keep having faith in what I’m doing as a player and hopefully when the time comes I’m ready to go out there and take care of it business to take care of.”

Young averaged 6.3 points and 4.4 rebounds in 18.3 minutes in 26 games with the Raptors last season. His addition, along with the emergence of Precious Achiuwa and Chris Boucher in the second half, helped stabilize Toronto’s bench, which was struggling earlier in the year. The plan was for Young to repeat the role he played late last season and into the playoffs, with him, Achiuwa, Boucher and new signing Otto Porter Jr., who was out with a hamstring strain and is yet to make his debut – form the core of the second unit.

What has changed is unclear. Admittedly, Young hasn’t been particularly effective in his limited playing time. He’s scored seven points, committed four fouls and missed four of his five three-point attempts, and outscored the Raptors with 28 points in his 32 minutes. Still, the sample size is small, and it’s difficult to quickly assess a player like Young.

Young affects the game in ways that aren’t always reflected in the box score. He’s not the type of player who’s going to come in and score in piles. In his 16-year career, he’s carved a niche for himself as one of the league’s greatest suckers — a high-IQ player who can do a little bit of everything at both ends of the parquet and make his teammates better.

So far, head coach Nick Nurse has kept his rotation tight, with the bulk of the minutes going to his top seven players – the five starters plus Achiuwa and Boucher. From then on, he’s distorted younger. Rookie center Christian Koloko and sophomore point guard Dalano Banton are the only other players to have appeared in all six games. It could just be a position thing, with Nurse prioritizing Koloko’s size or Banton’s speed in certain matchups. Alternatively, or perhaps additionally, they might prefer to use those minutes to develop and see what they have in these younger guys.

Of course, nothing is set in stone. It’s a long season and the back end of Nurse’s rotation tends to be fluid. He spoke to Young after last Monday’s game in Miami, the first of two direct DNPs for the veteran forward, and his message was: “Stay ready.”

“I wouldn’t say I planned on not using him in Miami that night, it’s just the way it turned out,” Nurse said last week. “We’ll see. We’ll need him, no doubt about that. It’s kind of a night-to-night thing.”

Young’s routine hasn’t changed much, even though his role has changed. If anything, he’ll be at the gym a little earlier or leave a little later to make sure he gets the job done. And even if he can’t contribute as much as he would like on the pitch, he knows he can always make a difference.

“When you’re not playing, you have to find other ways to make the team better,” Young said. “One of my avenues is continuous leadership – helping the young people, making sure I’m giving them tips on what to do, yelling at the guys from the bench and then constantly staying in the young people’s ears. Some of the young guys come in and they lack confidence but I try to keep building them up and help them improve their game.

He can’t help but have déjà vu. Young was in a similar spot a year ago, sitting on the bench waiting for his opportunity. He was entering the final year of his contract when Chicago’s rebuilding Spurs acquired him at the DeMar DeRozan Sign and Trade, and he didn’t factor in their long-term plans. He once appeared in four of 28 games for San Antonio before being dealt to the Raptors for veteran guard Goran Dragic and a first-round pick.

Unlike Dragic, who requested personal leave when he fell out of rotation in Toronto, Young persevered. Despite his disappointment, he remained professional, continued to bring leadership abilities and helped guide his younger teammates, and worked hard to be ready for his next opportunity, whenever and wherever it came.

The Toronto trade was liberating in that sense. It felt like the perfect fit for the player and for the team. He returned to regular play with the Raptors, making an impression on the court and bringing much-needed veteran leadership to one of the league’s rising clubs at a crucial time as they headed into the playoffs. That’s why he signed a new two-year, $16.3 million deal last July to stay with the franchise.

The irony of finding himself in limbo again hasn’t escaped him, but he’s handling it the only way he can.

“It’s not my first rodeo,” Young said. “I’ve been there before, same situation with Spurs last year, I’ve played sporadically throughout the season. I am here and mine [playing time] picked up. So you never know what can happen. You just have to be ready at all times.

“Obviously I haven’t had very many minutes in the last couple of games to really make a difference. But if I do, I’ll be there.”