Ranking former Timberwolves players in NBA playoffs
By Ben Beecken
Apr 10, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young (30) shoots the ball over Washington Wizards forward Nene Hilario (42) during second half at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
2. Thaddeus Young – Brooklyn Nets
Who knows what Thaddeus Young’s future holds at this point, but he’ll forever be known as a link between the only two real eras that the Timberwolves franchise has ever had.
Young was acquired as part of the Kevin Love–Andrew Wiggins trade and was supposed to be the nearly star-level talent that could shore up the power forward spot and give the Wolves a shot at contending for a playoff spot. But injuries to Ricky Rubio, Nikola Pekovic, and Kevin Martin, along with the death of Young’s mother that took him away from the team for a couple of weeks in November quickly ended those pipe dreams.
Young was swapped for franchise icon Kevin Garnett on the day of the NBA trade deadline in November. We’ve debated the merits and drawbacks of the move at great length, but we do know that the Wolves traded away the second-best player in franchise history as part of the deal to acquire Young, and then Young was traded straight-up for the 38 year-old version of the best player in franchise history.
It’s a quirky distinction, but Young is a legitimately good player. He’s been handling the ball on the perimeter less with the Nets but actually shooting more long-range jumpers, leading to a better rebounding rate and improved Effective Field Goal and True Shooting percentages.
He’s played in 28 games for Brooklyn, starting 20 and averaging 29.6 minutes per game. The Nets stumbled into the playoffs and have to play the mighty Atlanta Hawks, but if Lionel Hollins‘ crew stands a chance at winning a couple of games in the first round, Young is a big key.
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