Thad Young's professionalism
Thad Young has been a professional through 17 games of the Raptors season, accepting an odd and sometimes frustrating role. The 34-year-old forward signed with Toronto in the offseason, knowing he’d likely come off the bench as a critical part of the second unit. The start of the season hasn't been what Young expected, but that hasn't stopped him from putting in the work.
Young's value to the Raptors is immense no matter his role and his presence has been felt on both ends of the floor, be it as a starter or off the bench. He brings toughness and hustle — two things that have been staples of Toronto teams for years. He's also an experienced veteran who can help the team’s younger players adjust to the NBA game.
He amazed everyone with his professionalism towards the beginning of the season when he rarely got any playing time. Two months into the season, those concerns have been unfounded. Young has started coming to coach Nick Nurse before games for advice on approaching different matchups. Then, after Nurse pulled him from the rotation entirely for one game in early November — “Did not play — coach’s decision” — he explained that Young’s time would come. “I never complained once,” Young said recently. “I just stayed in my lane, worked hard every day … I understood what my role was.”
Now, with injuries to Pascal Siakam and Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa has become a key part of the Raptors’ rotation again. He started both games on Toronto’s recent games and averaged 10.5 points in 30 minutes. Nurse said that when or if the Raptors get fully healthy, Young probably will go back to more sporadic appearances, but management and coaching staff know he'll handle it well.
