Veteran guard/forward Nick Young may have returned to the lineup for the Los Angeles Lakers prematurely. Young was able to get back on the floor for his team against the Brooklyn Nets on Feb. 23, but that may have been a mistake as he clearly wasn’t ready.
According to Bill Oram of the OC Register, Young could be out a little while longer:
A Lakers spokesman said today that he doesn't think Nick Young "is real close" to returning to the lineup.
— Bill Oram (@bill_oram) February 28, 2014
With the Lakers really struggling to put a consistent winning formula together this season, the best course of action for players like Young and Kobe Bryant would be to simply wait until they’re 100 percent. The Lakers are not competing for a title or a playoff spot at this point and therefore shouldn’t be rushing players back when all that seems to be on the line is draft positioning.
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Although Young was considered a bit of a wildcard for the Lakers, the journeyman has been solid when healthy this season. Obviously, Young hasn’t been a game-changer while Kobe and Steve Nash have been on the shelf, but he’s been a great contributor off the bench.
In 49 games this season, Young is averaging 16.8 points while shooting 42 percent from the floor. Young has been arguably the second best player on the team this season behind Pau Gasol and may have a long-term future with the Lakers as a result.
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