Ex-coaches detail Young's impact as he nears 1,000 games originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Early in his first All-Star season, Zach LaVine called Thad Young the most valuable player of the Bulls.
LaVine did so not only because of Young’s on-court play, which has produced career-highs in multiple categories in Young’s 14th NBA season -- no easy feat. No, LaVine called Young that for his off-court impact as well.
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“I know Thad personally as my best teammate I’ve had and one of my best friends in the league,” LaVine said. “So I’ve always had trust in him.”
Barring something unforeseen, Young will become the 145th player in NBA history to appear in 1,000 games Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs. That total includes those who played games in the defunct American Basketball Association.
It’s a select group. It speaks to longevity, durability and accountability.
Talk to people who have played with or coached Young and you’ll hear them gush just like LaVine did. NBC Sports Chicago talked to Doug Collins and Nate McMillan, two coaches who spent three seasons with Young with the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, respectively.
Here are their words:
Nate McMillan, spent 2016-19 with Young
I love Thaddeus. He’s a pro. What I mean by that is you don’t worry about those guys. They come in and do their job every single day. They have themselves prepared to play, practice, every single day. They’re really low-maintenance as far as what you have to do to get them ready to go. They’re machines. They just come in, do their job and they don’t give you a lot of lip service.
In this day and age when you have so many players focused on their offense and want the ball, Thaddeus was a guy that I needed -- and I think every team needs in the sense that you don’t have to call any plays for him. He just plays. He’s going to play with effort that is needed. He’s going to defend. Offensively, when the ball comes to him, he’s productive.
I called him the glue. I thought he was the glue to our team in Indiana.
When you look back on it, I never worried about Thad because he was always there. He didn’t take days off in practice. He had one of the highest usage rates for us and we had to at times force him to sit down in practice. He wanted to work. Game time, he played as hard as anyone on the floor. You just appreciate players like that and coaching guys like that. I think he missed a game or two. And I was a nervous wreck. You never expected that to happen. I really enjoyed working with him.
Doug Collins, spent 2010-13 with Young
He’s one of the neatest men I’ve ever been around in my entire life. Obviously, we know what kind of player he is. But he’s a special person too. He would do anything for your team to win.
I remember when I took the Philly job, I called him on the phone and introduced myself to him. I said, ‘Thad, I promise I’m going to get the best out of you. That’s my promise to you.’ And he said, ‘Coach, I’m ready to go to work.’ That’s sort of his manta.
When I first went to Philadelphia, I was trying to figure out how I could best put the team together. And I sat with our coaches. And I went to Lou Williams and Thaddeus Young and said, ‘You’re two of our five best players. Will you come off the bench so we could have one of the best benches in the NBA?’ I told them you’re not going to start but I promise you that you’ll play at the end of the game. Well, Thaddeus finished third and Lou sixth in Sixth Man of the Year voting.
I can compare his durability to my career where I was a guy who was hurt quite frequently late in my career. It’s so important to be available for your team every night. It used to break my heart that I couldn’t play because I was hurt. Thad takes care of himself. You know what you’re going to get from him every night. Especially in the days of load management, that’s such an accomplishment. This season is where durability is going to come into play. When you’re playing 19 games in 37 days, now you really need to count on people who are going to be there for you every night. I don’t want to in any way jinx that, but he answers the bell, man. He’s there.
His voice has grown as he has progressed in the NBA. But he’s so low maintenance. He would always say, ‘Coach, let’s just make sure we hold everybody accountable and we’re doing everything we can every day to be a winning team. Let’s get our work done.’
I talked to Thad when Thad was coming to the Bulls and told him we really need his voice for these young players. And I think you can see that connection with Zach. You can see what they have meant to each other just from the little time they were in Minnesota with each other.
I know how frustrated he was last year. But he would never let them show. He would never do that. That’s not the kind of player that he is. That’s not the kind of teammate that he is. He never puts himself ahead of the team. Ever. Never. He just wants to make sure that you’re preaching the truth every day, that there’s a level of trust being built between player and coach and that the team is playing to win.
He’s a winner. I’m so thankful that the people of Chicago are getting a chance to watch the way he can really play. Man, I’m even seeing parts of his game that I didn’t know he had. The way he is handling that pocket, he’s playing like Draymond Green in the middle of the floor now for the Bulls. He’s playing multiple positions, guarding the 5 and guarding the 4. He’s doing whatever you ask him to do.
I love how Stacey King calls him Thadgic Johnson. Even I didn’t know he had the playmaking ability that he has. He’s seeing cutters. He’s holding the ball. He’s throwing passes over the top of a cutter. He’s just reading the floor beautifully with his dribble handoffs.
When he had his second son, I was in San Diego. One of the first pictures he took of his son, he sent to me from the delivery room. He wanted to share with me the joy of having another son. And I’m so happy for him because there’s not a finer man in the NBA than Thaddeus Young, I can tell you that.
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