The Los Angeles Lakers push to secure a top-five draft pick has been missing one of its best weapons: A 36.6-percent shooter.
Nick Young has been sidelined since Feb. 22 due to nondescript knee soreness, which was later revealed to be symptomatic of a small fracture in his left knee cap. With just 10 games to go and no clear remedy beyond rest, a return to the court for the 19-53 Lakers seems unlikely, albeit not impossible.
"I want to get out there before the season is over," Young said Sunday. "It's been a tough one, but I still want to play and be a part of the team. I just want to play. Hopefully I can get some buckets and get some wins."
Trainer Gary Vitti told head coach Byron Scott there hasn't been much improvement in Young's knee, with Scott saying the team is in no hurry to rush a player back in a lost season with three years left on his contract.
If Young's goal is to get wins - not that his track record would suggest he has much control over that - the Lakers would probably prefer he sit. The team is 5-12 since he hit the shelf and now sit fairly insulated as the No. 27 team in the league, a position that would give them an 82.8-percent chance of keeping their first-round pick.
In terms of just getting some buckets, well, Young could conceivably do that, though not at a very efficient clip if his 42 pre-injury games are any indication. Coming off a career-year in 2013-14, Young is scoring far less - 13.4 points per game, down from 17.9 - and far less efficiently - a 52 true shooting percentage, down from 56.4.
