Chicago Bulls: 5 players worth watching in the NBA playoffs

Following the devastating injury to franchise cornerstone Victor Oladipo, the Indiana Pacers were proclaimed dead in the water by just about every media outlet. A whole 35 games later, the Pacers still held control of the third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Even without Oladipo, Indiana played competitively against the cream of the crop. Their steadfast performance can be credited to the increased production from players like Thaddeus Young and teammate Darren Collison.

Over the course of 12 years in the NBA, Young has averaged north of 11 points and 5 rebounds per game each year since his rookie season. He’s shown the ability to adapt to the modern NBA, as his three-point shooting and true shooting percentages are both at the second highest marks of his career. In another interesting development, Young seems to have developed a new aspect to his game as a ball distributor, averaging the highest assists per game of his career.

Young attracted a large amount of media attention this year, when he led the Pacers to a victory over the Bucks with his incredible 25 point, 11 rebound, and five steal performance. Most interesting of all, he completely shut down superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo on the defensive end, only allowing four field goals.

Although Young’s play on the court is respectable in its own right, his presence off the court may be even more valuable. Regardless of which team Young plays for, his teammates and coaches always have good things to say about him. Earlier this week, even the NBA nominated Young for their annual Teammate of the Year Award.

Adding a player like Young to the Chicago Bulls could do wonders for a team that has faced locker room instability in three consecutive years.