Lakers’ Nick Young ‘Likely’ To Miss The Rest Of The Season

USA Today

Ever since Steve Nash was ruled out for the year during the preseason, the Los Angeles Lakers have had no luck in keeping their best players healthy. Rookie Julius Randle went down with a season-ending injury in the first game of the regular season followed by Xavier Henry, Ronnie Price, Kobe Bryant and Wayne Ellington.

Earlier this week, head coach Byron Scott let it be know that veteran Nick Young will likely miss the rest of the season as well, via Lakers Twitter:

Byron Scott says that Nick Young will likely be out for the remainder of the season.

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) April 4, 2015

Last season, Young was arguably the team’s best offensive player just ahead of two-time NBA champion Pau Gasol. Young averaged a team-high 17.9 points per game during the 2013-14 NBA season and proved to be a valuable addition for the storied franchise.

After a breakout season, Young was signed to a lucrative four-year deal with the Lakers. Although the team secured one of the best bench players in the league, Young failed to live up to expectations in his second season.

In 42 games under Coach Scott, Young averaged 13.4 points per game while shooting 36.6 percent from the floor and 36.9 percent from three-point range. Even though Young’s numbers are disappointing after having a career year in his first season in Los Angeles, the veteran guard/forward could be a vital piece to the rebuilding process for the purple and gold.

With the Lakers currently sporting one of the worst records in the NBA, the team is focused on the offseason rather than winning games at this point. Young returning for the final six games really doesn’t make much sense as it would hurt the team’s chances of securing a top pick in the 2015 NBA draft with the Lakers in danger of losing the pick if they do not finish with one of the league’s five worst records as a result of the Steve Nash trade back in 2012.