Thaddeus Young’s defense can be somewhat of a mixed bag, especially when forced to make split-second reads away from the ball. Sometimes, he becomes so preoccupied with strong side pick and roll action that he’ll unnecessarily join one or more of his teammates in bumping the screener from his spot, thereby leaving his own man unattended behind the arc. On other occasions, almost like a moth to the flame, he’ll follow ball-handlers down the rabbit hole of the lane even when Myles Turner is already well-positioned to lie in wait.
However, on nights when making life tough on an elite offensive weapon demands that he steady the focus of his activity level and lateral quickness on a singular mission, he can be special.