15 Man Roster: Nick Young

Nick "Holla Back" Young...survey says...XXX


Monumental Air: Nick Young For Slam Dunk Contest

I'm pretty sure that Nick Young was sent here from the 1980's. Maybe its just his hair, but he really looks like he is from the past. He also smiles all the time. Just sayin.

Nick Young is a scorer. He has a great shot and moves that allow him to get open looks. He is explosive and high flying, and he is always looking to throw down a sweet slam.

Nick Young is also...young. Last season you could see his potential, but you could also see that he was a rookie. He made a lot of small mistakes that Eddie Jordan didn't like. If Nick was on the Grizzlies or Hawks, he would already be a starter. But this is the Wizards. Young can be streaky, but when his confidence is high he can score lots of points fast.

Young is a terrible defender. Like really really bad. He plays his guy too close and they blow by him. When covering someone in the corner he almost always allows them to go baseline.

Nick Young's ballhandling relies heavily on carrying the ball. Just about every dribble he takes could be a turnover. He improved that over the last year, but will still get called for that way too much. His go-to scoring move is dribbling towards the foul line, crossing over by palming the ball, and pulling up for the slight fadeaway. When they don't call him for the turnover, the swish brings a tear to my eye.

He also has trouble dribbling into the lane. Often he will dribble into a swarm of defenders and have nowhere to go. His strength is definitley the jumper over the drive. But if he has an open lane the other team would be on a Nick Young poster, if they made Nick Young posters.

This year, Nick Young should get more playing time. He is the Wizard's bench scoring. So far he looks much improved. His confidence is higher than ever. He also looks MUCH more serious. Less smiles and more "eye of the tiger". I think this will be a very good year for Young. I love Stevenson, but Young has to be starting by next year.