Agent: New Pacer Sam Young ready to help playoff team
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
New addition Sam Young’s deal with the Pacers is for one year and only partially guaranteed, Young’s agent told IndySportsLegends Monday.
Young and agent Joel Bell had maintained a steady dialogue with Indiana after free agency opened July 1. The Pacers announced Young’s signing Sept. 6.
He thought it was a great fit because of the way their team is structured and the way they play, Bell said. It seemed like a great situation.
Memphis sent Young to Philadelphia at the trade deadline this past year, in part to meet with the player’s wishes. Philadelphia then declined to extend Young a qualifying offer after the season, making him an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career.
Among other options, Bell said Indiana offered Young an opportunity to continue to swing back and forth between small forward and shooting guard.
Throughout his career, that’s what he does, Bell said.
The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Young starred at Pittsburgh, where he averaged 18.1 points as a junior and 19.1 as a senior. Young was twice selected to the All-Big East First Team. He is entering his fourth year in the NBA and averaged 3.3 points and 1.8 rebounds per game last season with only two starts in 35 appearances.
During the 2010-11 season, Young started 46 of 78 games for Memphis and averaged 7.3 points. He also started 11 of the Grizzlies’ 13 playoff games that year. In a first-round Game 5 loss to San Antonio, Young scored 18 points on 7-for-12 shooting.
Bell said Young is eager to again compete in that type of playoff atmosphere. The Pacers finished 42-24 and earned the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference a year ago.
He thinks of himself as a guy that’s ready to help a team that’s already pretty good and help them have a great season, Bell said.
