Nick Young is returning to the free agent pool after spending just 20 days with the Denver Nuggets.
Multiple outlets have reported the news: the Denver Nuggets are waiving Nick Young. This move materialized out of thin air. There weren’t any preliminary rumors that floated the idea of Young’s release.
“We want to thank Nick for coming to Denver on such short notice to give us some relief with our injury issues,” said Tim Connelly, the Nuggets’ president of basketball operations. “He immediately fit in with our group and did everything that was asked of him by being the great teammate and consummate pro that he is.”
Young spent just 20 days with the organization. Over those three weeks, he appeared in four games and totaled 37 minutes. Young recorded nine points — six of which came in his debut — and two assists and made three of his eight attempts from downtown. Denver, however, signed him as their roster got shallower and shallower. Their injury report was more of a laundry list. If nothing else, Young was a body who could stay on the court and give a couple of minutes of rest to the other guards. But, as the days passed, Mike Malone’s need for Young wanned considerably.
Monte Morris, Torrey Craig and Malik Beasley all stepped up in the absences of Gary Harris and Will Barton. Denver’s backcourt suddenly wasn’t so depleted. Both Morris and Beasley are lights-out shooters (44.9 and 39.6 percent, respectively), and Morris has thrived as a facilitator, handing out 6.0 assists per 36 minutes and committing just 1.1 turnovers. Craig isn’t an offensive dynamo like Morris and can’t shoot a lick, but he’s a good rebounder and decent defender in Denver’s system. Compared to Young, he’s a far safer bet.
What factored into the Nuggets’ decision more than anything was the terms to which they and Young agreed. Chris Dempsey noted how Denver signed Young with an injury hardship exception. Paul Millsap returned from his injury on Saturday night. Harris and Barton are expected to return soon.
Nick Young, a 33-year-old in his 12th season of action, is not washed. But he has reached a point where he can only make an impact as a shooter. He’s maintained his atrocious defense. There remains little substance offensively, but he still manages to bury threes at a high rate. That alone could lead to some conversations with teams who have elite defenses but lack the floor spacing of their contemporaries; think the Utah Jazz before their acquired Kyle Korver. Let’s not forget how perfectly Young fit in with the Golden State Warriors while only needing 15-20 minutes a night.
Follow Zach on Twitter and visit Hoops Hub for merch!
