DURHAM, N.C. -- Nobody, including 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks knows the exact role of first-rounder Thaddeus Young this season, but the 12th overall selection in the NBA draft has made a good early impression on his coach.
Last week Young tweaked his ankle and didn’t know when he would be ready to go full tilt.
On Tuesday’s first day of camp, Young participated in most but not all the drills. By Wednesday, Young was doing everything, moving well and not backing down to more experienced players.
“He got hurt before camp and got back,” Cheeks said. “I didn’t think he’d be doing the things he has been doing now. He got himself ready to play and hasn’t missed a beat.”
Cheeks talked about a few players, including Young, who fought through fatigue during the second day of workouts at Duke University’s Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“Fatigue kind of set in and he kind of got himself back into it,” Cheeks said of Young. “He is a tough-minded kid who has the ability to hit a wall and get up and keep on going.”
That is an important trait since the Sixers are bound to hit some walls this season. And there is no doubt that the 19-year-old Young may eventually crash into that well-known rookie wall.
For now, he’s trying to hold his own each day in training camp.
“He’s a better defensive player than I probably thought and he has a good offensive feel for the game,” Cheeks said.
Cheeks insists, and there is no reason to doubt him, that the playing time of Young and most of his teammates will be determined through training camp.
Showing the coach a willingness to play defense, to come back sooner than expected from injury and to gut out a practice when the initial fumes have been exhausted, is a good way to make an impression.
It will be a crowded mix to earn playing time at the small forward spot for Young, but he has shown plenty of heart to shake off what could have been a bothersome injury and compete.
Cheeks says the games will determine the minutes of many of the players. Young will have plenty of opportunities to show if he is ready to compete in the NBA. At least for now, the ability to compete in practice at less than 100 percent has made a decent first impression on his new coach
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Young Showing Old-School Heart
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Marc Narducci is in his 23rd year as a sports reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer. The 2007-2008 season will be his first as the 76ers beat writer. For the past two seasons, Marc had been the backup writer for the Eagles. Over the past few years Marc covered the NBA, NHL and Major League baseball as well as writing on sports media. Prior to covering professional sports, Marc was a long-time high school sportswriter for The Inquirer's South Jersey section.
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