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Thaddeus Young: The positive tweener
Why in the world is everyone waiting for the arrival/comeback/return to health of Elton Brand? The willing learner and prematurely mature Thaddeus Young has become the Philadelphia 76ers’ all-around forward.
Text: Tobias Pox
There are many forms of quickness. Thaddeus Charles Young apparently has them all.
If you’re talking about sprinting up and down the court, the 6-foot-8 forward easily streaks past his defender. A helpful reminder of that is Young’s picture in the 76ers’ media guide. In it, the left-hander begins his flight for a dunk with a couple of Detroit Pistons in the background way too late getting back on defense. And there is more than just astonishment on their faces. “Damn, this guy runs like Usain Bolt!” could be running through their collective heads. Young also is extremely quick in his reactions, for example in laying out for loose balls or moving over to help on defense. What about a quick first step? Well, he has that too. When he goes to his favored left side, the defender usually has no chance.
But perhaps the most important form of quickness that “Thad” has is another one. “He doesn’t just captivate with his athleticism. He is also very fast when it comes to learning,” explained Philadelphia veteran 36-year-old Theo Ratliff. “He is constantly studying the game. And that will make his a great player.”
(ZÜ) March Madness T. Young style
Thanks to his thirst for knowledge and his excellent receptiveness, Thaddeus Young already has an extremely rosy future in just his second season in the NBA. The 20-year-old sophomore, who last season after Kevin Durant was the second-youngest player in the league, has the ability to become an NBA star. That was the opinion of the Philly daily the Philadelphia Inquirer. And the city’s other main paper, the Philadelphia Daily News distinguished the emerging star as the only player on the Sixers roster who was “untouchable” in the trade market. Ratliff agreed with the praise of his young teammate. “He will definitely become an All-Star. You can see that already now with his potential. He has a great attitude and respects the game. He respects the veterans and everyone who paved the way in the past. He devotes himself to the game,” said Ratliff.
This is evident once again with a glance in the 76ers’ locker room. Before a game in Portland while his teammates are listening to iPods or watching portable DVD players, Young is watching video sequences from the last couple of games put together by the team’s video coordinator. He’s watching shots he took; his rotation on defense; and how he works through picks. He does all this before the game. Young says it helps him get ready for the up-coming game. And if the film clips had a title it would probably be “March Madness”. Granted the phrase comes from college basketball. But what Young did in March also borders on madness. In 15 games, he scored 20 or more points 10 times, helping Philadelphia stay in the race for the Playoffs. Besides helping the 76ers knock off the mighty Los Angeles Lakers, Young also poured in a career-high 31 points against Chicago on March 13. And he finished the month of March averaging 20.5 points.
“Yeah, things were going pretty well. I was just getting a lot of opportunities to score,” said Young about his success. “He is very versatile and is always improving,” said the 76ers interim coach Tony DiLeo. “He works on his ball-handling, his three-point shot and his jumper off the dribble. As soon as he improves his ball-handling and can beat his defender off the dribble, there will be stopping him.” In general, the coach’s opinion matches that of the Philly press and Ratliff that Thaddeus Young could become of the absolute greats in the league.
(ZÜ) No plays for Thad? No problem!
But it’s not just his quick learning curve that has helped Young to his massive improvement – his scoring average jumped from 8.2 in his rookie season to 15.3 and his rebounds from 4.2 to 5.0. The former Georgia Tech star, who was drafted number 12 in 2007, also works his butt off. Sweat streams down his body, even in his free time. He spent the summer representing the Sixers in the Summer League and visiting the Skills Camp of Denver Nuggets assistant coach Tim Grgurich. Young also sat down and was tutored by former NBA shooting ace Mark Price, who also attended Georgia Tech. “Mark broke down the entire shooting motion biomechanically – from dribbling to the shot. He showed me how to place my feet and prepare myself before the ball comes,” Young recalls his hours with the shooting guru. That may sound complicated like when Tiger Woods completely changed his golf swing. But Young likes the comparison. He laughs and says that it wasn’t quite as extreme as that.
