Young Is One Happy Camper
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Young Is One Happy Camper
Thaddeus Young has the look of contentment these days. Of course signing a five-year, $43 million would leave many people feeling content, but it’s more than the financial security.
Young really liked being on the 76ers and never ascribed by the grass-is-always-greener on the other side theory.
“I am very happy, very relieved and this is always where I wanted to be,” Young said. “I didn’t want to talk to anybody because I wanted to see what Philadelphia was going to do.”
Young was a restricted free agent, so the Sixers could have matched any offer, but he said that he really didn’t seek other teams. If they called, fine, but he wasn’t going out of his way looking for offers.
“I was happy with the deal I got here and the end of the day,” Young said. “I am young and wanted to continue my career here.”
Make no mistake, Young has a high profile throughout the NBA. Remember last year when New Jersey Nets coach Avery Johnson called Young the Sixers’ MVP.
Young just turned 23 in June and is already entering his fifth season.
Last year wasn’t his best statistically, at least in terms of points per game, but it was the best of his four seasons.
He averaged 12.7 points but shot a career best 54.1 percent from the field.
Along with Lou Williams and Evan Turner, he will give the Sixers one of the better benches in the NBA.
And there is so much room for growth. Young’s medium range game continues to improve. Now teams must defend him on the perimeter instead of laying back in fear that he will take it to the basket.
“The biggest thing is my confidence level is extremely high with each jumper I take,” He said. “Everyone I take feels good.”
Most of all, it feels good to Young that those jumpers will be taken in Philadelphia, a place he had no plans of leaving and it shows by his performance.
Thad will get his points for the Sixers. He's one of the bright spots for this team and will be for a long time.— 1phillycat- Really glad we kept him. He made great strides last year under Collins. Our bench with him ,Lou, and Turner is going to make us a very tough team. Although our starting 5 might not measure up to the top teams, our bench and depth evens things out somewhat. I like the formula we have started here with youth and depth. If we can somehow add some defensive and rebounding help up front our future will be very bright.— dave13
- He really needs to play his natural small forward position to reach his potential...— Wise_Owl
- Not that I'm not glad that we resigned him, because I definitely am, but how do you know that his mid-range game is improved? We've only had one game, and he shot 1-3 from mid-range. Something going on at practice that hasn't been reported?— J.P.Melle
- Unfortunately, he's an undersized "4". He is very, very skilled near the basket, but he's not big enough to play there all the time. I think he has the most pure basketball skill on the team, and I hope they find more minutes for him!!— fillyfan
- Welcome home john.. the Moonies' loss is our gain.— bobcitydoc
- I miss Kate ... sigh.— FishFryFrank
- Where do they get all this money?— scars73
- Hold up, none of those guys (Lou, Turner n Thad) are starters??? This team best be good!— Kareem7272
- I miss Kate.— jskrad
- Doug has always said his best players might not be starting. He's really created two solid teams, like lines in hockey, so there's never really much dropoff throughout the game. The big contracts get the pregame intros but all that matter is who's in the game in the last five minutes of a close contest. It's not who starts, it's who finishes: Jrue, ET/Lou, Iggy, Thad, Brand— Leegles
- Leegles is right on point. Doesn't matter who starts. It's who finishes and who gets the most PT. Sixers should get out to a fast start.— beegal99
- This is a great opportunity to jump on the league early and take advantage of our advantages as long as Collins doesnt burn the team out in practice. Glad we have a deep team.— Zeru
- This team's strength is the crowded schedule and its youth and depth. Older teams without a bench (like the Celtics) might have a harder time than usual because of the schedule. The Sixers play in a weak division and this might be a good year for them to showcase all their players and pull in solid value in the offseason for whoever doesn't fit.— Northeaster
John Mitchell is in his second year covering the 76ers for the Inquirer after joining the paper in November 2011. He covered the Washington Wizards for the Washington Times from 1998 to 2008. He's also worked at the Philadelphia Tribune, the Wilmington News Journal, Courier-Post, Trenton Times and Elmira Star-Gazette.Born and raised in West Philadelphia - not too far from Will Smith - he graduated from Overbrook High School the same year the 76ers won their last championship. He's a proud graduate of Howard University and the proud father of two sons, Jared and Jordan.
ABOUT MARC NARDUCCI
Marc Narducci has served in a variety of roles with the Inquirer since beginning in 1983. He has covered the 76ers as a backup and a beat writer. In addition, Narducci has covered everything from the Super Bowl to the World Series and a lot in between. Narducci also has a true passion for South Jersey scholastic sports, which he has covered for many years.
