Why Thaddeus Young will succeed with the Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns added Thaddeus Young from the buyout market recently, and he is going to succeed with this franchise.
The Phoenix Suns had a quiet trade deadline, but as a result of other trades the Suns have found themselves a solid backup forward. Meanwhile Thaddeus Young was sent to the Brooklyn Nets as a part of the trade that swapped point guards Spencer Dinwiddie and Dennis Schroder.
However, the Nets and Young will not be reuniting as he was subsequently waived by Brooklyn. Young has already found a team, intending to sign with the Phoenix Suns once he clears waivers.
Young has been through a variety of different teams during his career and provides Phoenix with depth in the front court and a veteran leadership presence to a Suns team that is looking towards making a push towards a championship.
Phoenix has had issues with their front court depth, needing a big man to consistently back up Kevin Durant in the power forward position.
Young fills this role nicely, providing a great presence off the bench. Young is a reasonable passer from the forward position, able to either finish the pick and roll at the rim or pass the ball out to a shooter to hit a shot from deep. Although he does not average a lot of assists, he can be an effective playmaker.
As mentioned, he works well around the rim and is boasting a career high percentage at the field. Young is shooting just over 62% from the field this season, proving that although he does not play a lot of minutes or take a lot of shots, that he is efficient with the opportunities he is given.
While he has not offered more than an average of 20 minutes per game in nearly five seasons, Young is one of those players that every team has loved to have. He plays his role off the bench well and can shift into a starting role when needed, as evidenced by his recent three year stint with the Toronto Raptors.
Young, despite not taking many threes this season and not having the best percentage, can stretch the floor if required and can hit shots from beyond the arc. However, the main reason he will be successful is his veteran leadership.
The veteran has been a part of a number of great teams and has a lot of playoff experience, something that will be good for this Phoenix locker room. He will be able to provide that calming presence in the locker room and that reliable veteran option off the bench to give the team consistency.
With the Suns injury history of their big three, having players that can help fill in for the stars when out will also be instrumental. Young will be able to fill in on nights that Durant may be injured or simply need to rest. Adding Young to the fray will allow him to replace Durant and not affect the depth too heavily when KD is out.
The signing of Young should overall be a solid steal for the Suns, as they get a solid role player for their bench to strengthen their title aspirations and provide veteran leadership.
