Thaddeus Young's future
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Thaddeus Young's future
We're getting closer to the first draft workout at PCOM, the 76ers' practice facility. Look for that first workout to be somewhere around June 1, three weeks before the 2011 NBA Draft that's scheduled to be held June 23. We've covered the draft prospects ad naseum on this blog. If you want to read about some of the power forwards/centers that the Sixers could be looking to snag with the No. 16 pick, you can find that here: Sizing it up. If you just can't get enough and you want to read about the pre-Chicago combine assessment of the bigs in the draft, that's here: big men. If you want to read about the fringe possibility of drafting a shooting guard, you can find that information here: shooting guards. And if you still want to read more, you can get updates on three Sixers through earlier posts: guard-forward Evan Turner, center Spencer Hawes, and big man Craig Brackins.
This is kind of a quiet week for NBA news, unless your team is still playing. The Sixers' brass of president Rod Thorn, general manager Ed Stefanski, assistants Tony DiLeo and Courtney Witte, and coach Doug Collins are more than likely assessing the potential draft picks they watched and interviewed in Chicago, while Stefanski went on to evaluate talent at a smaller combine in Minnesota. In the next weeks, they'll put together a draft board, ranking available players.
Since we've targeted this off season as crucial to bumping this team from 41 wins to 50 wins, we've been trying to address some of the non-draft issues this team will face in the coming months. Per a few email requests (please send any questions you might want addressed to kfagan@phillynews.com), today's topic is forward Thaddeus Young. The questions on Young were two-fold: will he return to the Sixers next year and does he have a chance to become this team's starting small forward?
Here's the background info on Young's situation. He's entering his fifth season in the NBA. Earlier in the 2010-11 season, the Sixers did not offer him a contract extension, so on July 1 he becomes a restricted free agent. The Sixers will qualify him, meaning they have the opportunity to match any offer made, with the pre-arranged $4.0 million qualifying offer as stipulated in the NBA's rookie contract system. On July 1, obviously under the assumption the lockout situation gets worked out, which is clearly a major assumption, other teams can sign Young to an offer sheet. The Sixers will have the opportunity to match any offer. For example, if on July 5 (randomly chosen date), the New Orleans Hornets (randomly chosen team) sign Young to an offer sheet of 5 years, $35 million (seriously randomly chosen numbers), the Sixers would have seven days to match the offer. If no other team signs Young to an offer sheet, he will play the 2011-12 season with the Sixers for the $4 million qualifying offer and then after that season he would become an unrestricted free agent. (Yes, the NBA is complicated.)
Here's the background on Young's numbers with the Sixers: 8.2 points, 4.2 rebounds his rookie season, 15.3 and 5.0 his sophomore season, 13.8 and 5.2 his third season, and 12.7 and 5.3 during this most recent season with Collins.
OK, so those are the numbers.
I would put the likelihood that Young returns to the Sixers at 92 percent. (Let's not get carried away with that number, it's an educated guess from having conversations about the situation -- and it's fun to put a number on the accumulated knowledge of these conversations.) There is no way for me to overstate the quality of the relationship between Collins and Young. Collins considers Young one of the most impressive guys (character, listening ability, responsiveness, game, personality) he's coached. And Young respects Collins and enjoys playing for him. I'd go so far as to say Young believes in what Collins can do with this franchise and, more specifically, what Collins can do for Young's game. Young wants to return to the Sixers. And the franchise, by all accounts, plans on matching any reasonable offer sheet. No one knows what's going to happen with the next CBA, and how that will change things, but if another team signs Young to a fair offer sheet, the Sixers will match. The only reason Young wouldn't return is if a team signs Young to an insanely above-market-value offer sheet. The Sixers, within a broad range of contract offers, plan to bring back Thaddeus Young.
As for the second question received (can Young become this team's starting small forward?), here's the lay of the land. If Andre Iguodala remains a Sixer over the summer, he will rightfully be this team's starting small forward. If Iguodala is traded over the summer, the Sixers will enter training camp with an open starting spot at small forward. As we've said in previous posts (check out the hot link to "Evan Turner"), it's possible that the team and Turner himself could be looking at him returning next fall as a potential small forward. If the position is open, Turner and Young would enter training camp as potential options for starting small forward. Collins and Young, as we mentioned multiple times toward the end of the season, have had conversations about Young's potential to become an all-star. Collins has told Young that if he develops a consistent 15-foot jumper and can consistently make a corner three-pointer, he can become an NBA All-Star. If Young can force defenders to respect his mid-range jumper, something defenders don't totally do right now, then Young could be a 20-points-per-game scorer. And if he doesn't become a starter, he'd be a front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year.
It seems the only question with Young's potential as a starter is his lack of a definitive position. We're talking about him right now as a small forward, but he's proven effective as a backup power forward. It might make more sense for Collins and the Sixers to use him as the backup small and backup power forward and drop him 32 minutes a game (he played 26.1 minutes a game this season). As with many questions facing the Sixers, all of this depends on what kind of game Turner shows up with this fall, what kind of jumper Young shows up with, and what kind of moves the team makes to free up opportunities for each or both.
But one thing is certain: the Sixers aim to bring back Young.
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--Kate
Each week, Kate will check in from the road and answer fan questions about the Sixers. Click here to ask Kate a question or e-mail her at kfagan@phillynews.com.
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- The info machine is at it again. . .
Go, mtairy1, go !!!— wordsword - You wouldn't you would play off of them. If you're an NBA player and you're left alone you need to take that shot. If you miss it it needs to be rebounded. That more than anything has to be addressed. There needs to be a disruptor on offense. A person that can get his shot at any point on any one. That's what makes a defense shift creating spacing for other players to operate.
- Yes! — wordsword
- Career 3 point percentage numbers...
Thad .338
Iguodala .323
We don't have to be a team that lives and dies by the three point line.
Just make defenses play you honest that's all. - BigVil, I wasn't proposing that Iggy is the answer. Iggy has thrown up far too many 3 pt bricks over the years. I'm all for trading him and giving Thad a chance as long as we get some value in return. I just wanted to point out why I was afraid of a Thad/Turner starting combo. No shooter means no driving lanes & no room for EB to work. Like I said before I hope Thad or Turner shows up at camp looking like J.Terry and Peja from the arc.— mtairy1
- I understood I was point in an earlier post was that you didn't have great shooters this season but the spacing was the best I had seen it since Brown was the coach. Everyone forget the mid range game. This team problem wasn't scoring. Every team goes through a dry spell. I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The difference in this team being a .500 team and a serious threat was the rebounding. I can live without a shot blocker for now. They got out rebounded almost nightly. How many times did we all see them play killer defense just too see the other team get the rebound. That takes all the energy out of you as a player. If I'm not mistaken one game they actually spent close to 3 minutes playing defense because they couldn't get a board and stupid fouls
- I don't disagree I would love to have a serious threat that could stretch the defense. I posted earlier I might think hard about drafting Kyle Singler. But if that doesn't workout the front office would get hammered. The problem with players are they are too one dimensional. Shooters aren't really good at anything else but shooting. Not rebounding not creating their own shot not defending. If they were complete basketball players we wouldn't refer to them as just "shooters"
- Don't forget about Jrue and Meeks though. We have two guys that can penetrate and post up in Holiday and Turner. Mismatches give you spacing as well. We have Thad 15' and in. Hawes and Brand (for now) 18' and in. You can't leave Jrue and Meeks open. I wouldn't worry about the offense right now it's just not a top priority unless a flat out serious threat fell in to our laps.
- Iguodala for harden..?? We would have to take collison's contract. No thank you. Not enough player value in return. I like the way mijiri handled ny in the melo deal. Ny wanted melo they had to pay. Now Denver has a loaded frontcourt. Bird nene mozgov koufos Kenyon danillo Wilson. We all know mijiri likes dre. Mozgov danillo and j.r. Smith. For dre, Lou, hawes. Danillo.. Umm he's 6'11.. He has played some center.. V HOWARD! He would be a very nice 5. VERY NICE! He's what 24 I think. The handles passing iq. AND THE 3 ball. What 5 wants that.?? CAN RUN!!!! Jump. He's my young guy. With mozgov starting. Nilo as the backup. Kamans my old guy mozgov and danilo are my young guy targets. The tall order: mozgov and danilo The euro: ummmmm? mozgov and danillo. The scorer. J.r. Smith. # 16. I like fareid WITH THAT GROUP! Without the euros I like donnatas. I like the kid from brazil. And if we still have the mle after the CBa. That's when we spread the the icing on the cake. We addressed ALL our immediate needs with Denver. Drafted another big body at 16. Donnatas or faried. The mle Jason smith.
Jrue Meeks danillo brand mozgov.
Turner smith Thad sp8ts smith. I WANT SMITH AND MOZGOV TO COMPETE FOR THAT 5 SPOT!
#16 & #50
The picks are where they belong. AT THE END OF THE BENCH LEARNING! Looking at that group we would need an ATHLETIC FULL LENGTH WING DEFENDER(S!) Faried and somebody at 50.— combocancer1975 - Sounds like Stefanski is off on a lateral arabesque!— pedge
- Kate,
Young belongs in Philly. His stats don't reflect his hustle,deflections,and heart. DC sees it. We can't afford more mistakes. If you're saying he could have been signed for 6-7 million before the season and we'll now have to match a much higher offer, shouldn't we make a qualifying offer of more than than 4 million, say 9, to make sure that we won't be faced with matching a ridiculously higher offer of 9.5 to 10? I seriously doubt that Young would turn down 9 if we are allowed to make a qualifying offer higher than 4 million. You never know, some team out there might pay dearly for versality,character,speed and upside.
Didn't Young shoot between 34-35% from the arc in his first three years before DC pulled him back this year? If so,
there's no reason he can't get to 40% and a 20 and 7 averages as a starter for us or somebody. I agree with most of your followers. Keep him, but save enough to get more interior defense.— philsix6 - young is a star in the making. we need to keep him and trade iggy for a big man— 76ersnut
- A big x-factor when discussing the Sixers perimeter play is improved shooting. Thad and Evan are both young players and their shooting will improve. Plus, Holiday has proved to be a good three point shooter and he is also still improving. Meeks will probably go from good to great from behind the arc. I think that between Holiday, Turner, Iguodala, Young and Meeks, the Sixers have solid enough outside shooting and that is the weakest aspect of the group. This group is definitely the strength of the team. Including Lou Williams improves the three point shooting, but I left him out because I think he is excellent trade bait to move from 16 into the top 10 in this draft.— incog69
- Some folks are discussing Harden for Iguodala and I'd like to weigh in on that. I like Iguodala a lot, but Harden is a special player who I believe can be a perennial all-star. He has great size and explosiveness plus his skill set is superb. Playing alongside Durant and Westbrook, his opportunities are somewhat limited. As a Sixer, he would be an immediate 22+ ppg scorer. Someone mentioned not wanting to take Nick Collison along with him... I guess that poster has not been watching the playoffs. Collison can definitely play. Moreover his interior play would greatly benefit the Sixers. OKC should laugh at the thought of giving up Harden.— incog69
- @mtairy1: First, hello from beautiful Mt. Airy :) I like the fact that you used stats to try to make a point about the Sixers perimeter shooting. However, especially in the case of Thad, your use of stats was misleading. Last season he was 6-22 from 3FG. What that says is that Coach Collins did not let him shoot it. Why not? Because he wanted Thad to develop other aspects of his offensive game first. If you look at the two seasons prior to Collins arrival, you see that Thad took lots of threes (over 300 in the two seasons combined) and made a little over 34% of them. Not too bad, and that is why other teams will need to guard him at the arc when Collins gives him the green light. As for Turner, he clearly could not hit a three at the beginning of the season, but towards the end he was respectable (he made 10 of his last 27 and 4 of 5 in the playoffs).— incog69
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.
