San Antonio Spurs veteran Thaddeus Young is the consummate NBA veteran, but the role that he currently has with the team is one that he admits is frustrating for him to deal with at times. Young is currently seeing the fewest minutes per game in his career and producing career-low numbers virtually across the board.
The 33-year old was acquired from the Chicago Bulls in the sign-and-trade deal that landed DeMar DeRozan in The Windy City. Young has been a consistent performer in his career, but this role with the Spurs is something new for him.
Coming off of a very productive season with the Bulls, in which he took home the NBA’s 2021 Hustle Award, it has been tough for Thaddeus Young to be turned into an end of the rotation player. It is a role that he says is not ideal for him. He shared his feelings during an appearance on Alex Kennedy’s podcast.
“Right now, this situation is not ideal for me,” Young said during an appearance on Kennedy’s podcast. “I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve had to settle for 4 and 6 minutes a game.”
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After playing 24.3 minutes per game last season, scoring 12.1 points with 6.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.6 blocks, Young has seen his numbers plummet this season. In 17 games, he is averaging only 7.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.4 blocks in 15.6 minutes per game.
Young is still capable of producing but knows that he is in a tough spot. The Spurs are rebuilding, evident by him being the only player on the roster over the age of 30. The young guys are going to play, but he admits that it is frustrating.
“It’s super tough. It’s very tough and frustrating at times,” said Young. “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.”
The Georgia Tech product has been doing all he can to remain in shape, taking part in after-the-game conditioning and early 3-on-3 sessions. Those 3-on-3 sessions aren’t normally something veterans take part in, but Thaddeus Young wants to remain sharp and ready to play.
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That commitment is something that the Spurs and every team Young has played for, can appreciate. San Antonio knows it’s tough on him, but Young isn’t going to let that impact his work ethic.
“The one thing I’ve prided myself on is just continuing to be professional and making sure that if I’m part of a team, I’m part of that team,” he said. “I’m not one foot in and one foot out. If I’m putting on that jersey and they’re paying me and they’re putting their trust in me, I’m going to make sure that I’m there for them. I think that’s one of the biggest things.”
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Thaddeus Young will assuredly be a hot commodity on the trade market sooner than later. Contending teams would love to add him to their rotation for the stretch run of the season. It would be shocking if he remained on the San Antonio Spurs roster past the NBA Trade Deadline later on in the season.
