Raptors Discuss Thad Young's Impact On and Off the Court

The Toronto Raptors have seen Thad Young develop into a leader both on and off the court thanks to his high basketball IQ and veteran experience

Sometimes it’s the silliest questions that are the most important.

NBA practices can be filled with a bunch of players nodding along pretending to understand everything the coaches are saying. At times, it’s easier to just fake like you know what you’re doing than it is to admit to everyone you’re confused. It requires a certain level of comfort to raise your hand and ask, wait, what do are we doing here?

That’s what Thad Young has provided the Toronto Raptors since his trade deadline acquisition from the San Antonio Spurs. Sure, his on-court production is helpful, but it’s the way he’s helped lead the Raptors off the court that’s made the biggest difference.

“He asks clarifying questions in the shootarounds, the walkthroughs, he's in tune very, very much with the game plan and the personnel plan and all those things. And he does make sure he knows what he's doing, and I always think that's a good sign,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said Thursday night. “It helps us sometimes when he’ll just maybe reaffirm what we're doing and say, ‘let me get this right.’”

Even during games, Young’s presence within the team is clear. He’s on the bench coaching up younger players and scheming up ways to beat opposing teams. Much like Fred VanVleet, he’s a coach on the bench, a bridge between the actual coaches and the younger players that are still getting their feet wet in the league.

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“He's constantly talking, and giving his input, and he has a lot of years of basketball under his belt. Definitely a source out there,” said Pascal Siakam. “We're definitely glad to have a veteran like him on our side and someone that has seen a lot of basketball in his life.”

It has taken Young some time to fully get acclimated to Toronto’s system. When he arrived in early February, he said he wanted to take things slowly, observe what everyone else was doing, and help coach the young players along without stepping on any toes. But lately, he’s been making a difference on the court as a savvy veteran, working the two-man game with VanVleet and making heads-up passes in the half-court.

“He just felt like a really safe pair of hands there,” Nurse said following Young’s seven-point performance against Cleveland that included a pair of early buckets off pick-and-rolls with VanVleet. “I thought Thad was mixing it up pretty physically tonight and that was good to see.”

Young isn’t going to be a huge difference-maker when the Raptors aren’t at full strength, and he’s forced to play alongside questionable bench units. But when he can use his high IQ to make plays out of the short roll with VanVleet and bully opposing teams in the paint at both ends, the edge he gives Toronto becomes evident. Couple that with his impact off the court, and it's clear why the Raptors had been eyeing Young for years.

Further Reading

Raptors prove they're ready for anything with playoff-like win over Cavaliers

Precious Achiuwa & Nick Nurse make the case for Scottie Barnes for Rookie of the Year

Raptors explain the importance of playoff experience for Toronto's young core