Ask, and you shall receive. Los Angeles Lakers fans have been clamoring for shooting guard Nick Young to be included in this year’s three-point shootout during All-Star weekend, and last week it was made official. Young will attempt to dethrone reigning champ Klay Thompson in a field that also includes Kyle Lowry, Kemba Walker, Eric Gordon, Wesley Matthews, and C.J. McCollum.
While the three-point shootout is a skills competition, it does have a physical element to it and firing off that many shots in a 60-second period can be taxing and require an element of strategy. With that being the case, Young’s Lakers teammates have pitched in to help prepare him for the big night. Part of the training was posted to the Lakers Instagram account:
Known as more of a scorer than a shooter, Young won’t be the favorite heading into the three-point shoot-out, but Lakers fans know just how deadly he can be when he gets in a rhythm. This season, Young is shooting a career-best 42 percent from downtown, which puts him in a tie with Seth Curry for 13th in the league.
Young’s resurgence this season has been incredible, with most believing that the Lakers would waive him before training camp. Instead, Los Angeles decided to give him a chance to prove himself under new head coach Luke Walton, and Young vastly exceeded expectations. He has even transformed himself into a competent defender, which was an area of weakness in years past. Now, Young will almost certainly opt-out of his contract this summer when previously everyone assumed he would opt in. He will search for one last big payday, and the Lakers will have a tough decision to make.
