The Chicago Bulls recently signed forward Thaddeus Young to a three year, $41 million contract. While he didn't come cheaply, adding Young to their roster was an excellent move by the Bulls front office.
Here are three reasons why the forward will help Chicago improve from their forgettable 2018-19 campaign.
Veteran Experience
Last season, the Chicago Bulls were the fifth youngest team in the league. The average age of their players came out only a tick above 24 years old. After signing with Chicago, Young became the teams oldest player at 31. Young brings plenty of veteran experience and NBA wisdom to a team that is sorely lacking it.
Led by Zach LaVine (24), Lauri MArkannen (22), and their most recent draft pick Coby White (19), the Bulls badly needed a seasoned veteran with playoff experience. Young brings both of these attributes to the table.
Durability
Even though he is now an older player, Thaddeus Young has remained a dependable player. In his last three seasons with the Indiana Pacers, the rugged forward missed a total of only ten games. Young has never sustained a serious injury that kept him out for an extended period of time. He has played 70 games in all but two of his 13 seasons. This is great for the young Bulls.
All of their prized youngsters mentioned above dealt with nagging injuries throughout the season that made each one miss significant time. The Bulls floundered under the injuries, and they were forced to field lineups that looked more suited to the G-League than the NBA at times. Signing Young gives the team some dependable wing depth.
Bench Scoring
Presumably, Young will be behind Otto Porter Jr. and Markannen in the depth chart, who will get the majority of the playing time at the forward spots. This means Young will be getting the majority of his minutes off the bench, which is good for the Bulls. Last season, the team looked woefully short on depth and seemed to get crushed every time the bench came in. Young provides a safety net for the young Bulls, as he can still pack a scoring punch and is known for his hustle.
Last season, he averaged 12.6 points and 6.5 boards, which are gaudy numbers for a bench player. Additionally, Young shot an effective 53 percent from the field. The Bulls finally have a reliable player to bring off the bench when their youngsters need a breather.
When Young was originally signed, some Bulls fans griped that the team had overpaid for the multi-talented wing. In time, it is likely that Young proves his worth, even though the Bulls did hand over a large chunk of his money for his services. Hopefully, his play is worth every penny.
We will have to wait for the regular season to see how the Thaddeus Young signing truly affects the young team, but it's a good bet he helps take the team to new heights.
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