The Los Angeles Lakers were able to win a second straight game on the road on Friday night taking down the Detroit Pistons on their home floor. One of the biggest plays of the game that ultimately helped clinch the win for the Lakers was Nick Young drawing a charge on Josh Smith late in the fourth quarter.
Following the win and possibly Young’s first drawn charge of his NBA career, the 28-year-old said the following via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
Nick Young: “I’m the defensive player of the year now.” (on @twcsportsnet)
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) November 30, 2013
Young is not known for his defense and likely never will be. Despite the defensive deficiency, the first-year Laker is making an impression on his team this season.
Before heading into the matchup against the Pistons on Friday night, Young was averaging 14.1 points per game while shooting 44 percent from the floor and 37 percent from beyond the arc. Decent numbers for a player that had a lot of questions and doubts surrounding in terms of whether he’d be able to fit in with this Lakers team.
On Friday, Young scored 12 points in 28 minutes off the bench. It was a rough night for Young on the stat sheet with the potent scorer going 3-of-12 from the field, but the charge that basically sealed the deal for the Lakers made up for his struggles earlier in the contest.
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