Veteran guard/forward Nick Young has missed the last six games for the Los Angeles Lakers with a swollen left knee. It has been a rough year for Young marred by injuries leading all the way back to training camp.
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Unfortunately, even when Young has been healthy and on the floor this season, the sixth man has struggled. Head coach Byron Scott talked about Young recently and admitted the team’s best player off the bench isn’t having a great season, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:
“He’s not having a good year,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said of Young. “He’d be the first to admit that this hasn’t been the year he expected.”
Last season, Young had a breakout year after taking a considerable discount to become a Laker. The veteran journeyman averaged 17.9 points per game and was the team’s top scorer ahead of Pau Gasol.
This year, things have drastically changed with Young becoming inconsistent and at times rubbing Coach Scott the wrong way. Young is now averaging a 13.4 points per game while shooting a career-low 36.6 percent from the floor.
With the Lakers heading toward another disappointing end to a season, the team isn’t rushing him back into the lineup. Los Angeles is currently sporting a 16-45 record and has lost four consecutive games while being second to last in the Western Conference standings ahead of only the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Although Young continues to deal with a swollen knee, he hopes to be back on the floor for the Lakers sometime next week. The Lakers will host the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday and play three more games at home. Los Angeles will host the Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks before heading up north to face the Golden State Warriors on March 16.
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