After having a consistent role throughout his 15 years in the NBA, Thaddeus Young is trying to adjust to a limited role with fewer minutes with the San Antonio Spurs, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball News.
Young was brought over to San Antonio in the DeMar DeRozan deal from Chicago. As the oldest player on the team, he is asked to be the veteran presence on a rebuilding team. But it’s the lack of minutes that he has been getting recently that has him frustrated a topic he brought up recently.
“Right now, this situation is not ideal for me,” Young said on The Alex Kennedy Podcast. “I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to settle for 4 and 6 minutes a game.”
“It’s super tough. It’s very tough and frustrating at times,” Young said. “But at the end of the day, I understand where this franchise is going, and I understand what’s happening — the young guys have to play. Whatever happens, happens. It’s just a matter of trusting in my faith and trusting in my craft, and trusting in the time that I put into the game each and every day. I’m a 15-year veteran, and I’m still one of the last to leave the gym, and I’m still showing up early, putting in a lot of time and a lot of work.”
Young is averaging a career-low 15.6 minutes per game, with minutes going to younger players such as Keldon Johnson, Keita Bates-Diop, Devin Vassell, Lonnie Walker IV, and Drew Eubanks. His streak of starting at least one game in every year of his career could be in jeopardy.
The veteran has made the most of his playing time when he’s gotten on the floor this season. He’s currently averaging 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per contest while shooting 59.6 percent from the field after being a part-time starter with the Bulls averaging 12.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals last season and winning the NBA’s Hustle Award.
