Lakers news: Nick Young says he ‘created’ Paul George’s game, takes shot at lack of talent in NBA

Published by

Peter Dewey

August 10, 2023 9:22 am

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Nick Young made some interesting comments about the NBA on social media.

Young called the NBA a “corner dude” and “liquor store dude” league.

He didn’t stop there and said he “created” Los Angeles Clippers star wing Paul George’s game.

Young, 38, last played in the NBA for the Denver Nuggets during the 2018-19 season. George, an eight-time All-Star and six-time All-NBA selection, has had far more individual success in his NBA career than Young did. Still, the former Laker seemingly feels that he played similar to George during his time in the league.

It’s not completely clear what Young means by his comments, but one can infer that he thinks it is easier for players to receive higher contracts for doing less on the basketball court than during his career.

During his NBA career, Young was able to score the ball at a high rate at times, and he was a player that could get hot at a moment’s notice. He finished his career averaging 11.4 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game while shooting 41.8 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from beyond the arc.

Arguably the best season of Young’s career came with the Lakers during the 2013-14 season. He averaged a career-high 17.9 points per game that season while appearing in 64 games.

Following his time in Los Angeles, Young joined the Golden State Warriors in the 2017-18 season. He ended up winning an NBA title with the team.

According to Spotrac, Young made over $38 million from his contracts in the NBA. While the former first-round pick had a solid NBA career, he seems to believe that he could have made more in the current NBA.

The league has obviously changed a lot since Young entered it back in 2007. The 3-point shot is far more prevalent than it was then. New television deals and collective bargaining agreements have raised the league’s salary cap, which allows players to make more money.

It seems like Young thinks the current generation of players has it a little easier than he did during his career.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.