When Nick Young signed with the Lakers, many felt that his hometown ties were ultimately the biggest factor in his decision to sign a two-year deal worth roughly $2.3 million dollars.
Young grew up in the city and played both high school and college basketball in the area, so in a sense coming home for a pay-cut would seem like the most logical decision, right? Not exactly.
According to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News, coming back home to family and friends wasn’t the main attraction for Young to play for the Lakers. He was actually more intrigued with the idea of having an opportunity to contribute. As a matter of fact, the Lakers and Young expressed mutual interest last season, but Young wasn’t keen on a minimal bench role.
“They had Dwight [Howard], [Steve] Nash and Antawn Jamison,” Young said in an interview with the Los Angeles Daily News recently after playing in the Drew League at King-Drew Magnet High School in downtown Los Angeles. “I didn’t want to just be another guy on the bench. I felt like I wouldn’t have been a good fit.”
Young indicated that he received interest from multiple teams including the Sacramento Kings and the Dallas Mavericks, but never envisioned a defined role for himself with those franchises. With the Lakers, he feels that he is in the perfect place to take his career to the next level.
Surely it will be a challenge for Young to adjust to the demands that come with playing for a storied franchise like the Lakers, but he has the confidence in himself that he will live up to expectations.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” Nick Young told Lakers Nation’s Serena Winters at the Drew League over the weekend. “We got some legends on our team this year that’s fighting to get back as fast as they can.”
With Kobe likely out for the beginning of the season due to his Achilles injury, it will be exciting to see what Nick Young can bring to this evolving Lakers squad.
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