Speaking bluntly, as he is wont to do, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Byron Scott said that forward Nick Young is having a poor season.
There was nothing revelatory in Scott’s assessment — Young’s scoring average and shooting percentage have plummeted sharply from last season.
The self-proclaimed Swaggy P is nursing a swollen left knee, which has caused him to miss seven games in a row (and may keep him out even longer.)
Per the LA Times:
“Either you are having a good year or you’re not. He’s not having a good year,” Scott said Friday. “Hasn’t shot the ball well and I think he’s probably the first to admit this hasn’t been the type of year that he expected.” […] Young is averaging 13.4 points and shooting a career-worst 36.6%. He’s aware of it.
“I know I’m a lot better than that,” Young said quietly, a departure from his typically ebullient personality. “I let it get to me a little bit, playing on a bigger stage and hearing it every day. It made me try to force to get out of it instead of just playing my natural game.”
“A lot of his shots are tough and under duress,” Scott said. “Everything can’t be catch [the ball] and 18 dribbles and try to get a good shot off. When he does it that way, it’s one of two things — it’s a home run or it’s a strikeout. […] “I know Nick thinks he’s up there with Larry Bird and Reggie Miller and all these guys from a shooting standpoint but you look at their field-goal percentage and you look at his, he’s not there.”
