Chicago Bulls forward Thaddeus Young has won the 2020-21 NBA Hustle Award. The league announced Young as the winner of the award on Wednesday night, via the official league Twitter account.
The 2020-21 NBA Hustle Award goes to... Thaddeus Young! #NBAAwards #ThatsGame pic.twitter.com/QF9xXcisC2
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2021
It should be no surprise to Bulls fans to see Young win the award, which is awarded to the player that ‘makes the energy and effort plays to help his team win games throughout the season.’
Effort plays remain common from the veteran forward despite being 33 years old during the 2020-21 NBA season. The way he approaches the game night in and night out is part of the reason the Bulls front office hung onto him at the NBA trade deadline last season, and this award supports their reasoning.
Young players like rookie Patrick Williams benefit tremendously from being around a player like Young on a daily basis. Not only by seeing his approach, but also by seeing how much effort he puts in each and every night.
When the oldest player on the team is diving for loose balls and taking charges, the other players on the team notice. The good habits are something the Bulls front office and coaching staff hope their younger players will pick up on.
Forward Thaddeus Young led the team with 2.2 deflections per game despite only averaging 24.3 minutes per contest. He also led the Bulls in charges drawn per contest and barely trailed the leader in loose balls recovered.
For any fans wondering why the Bulls didn’t move Young at the trade deadline last year, this is a good example of the stuff he does that might not show up in the box score on a nightly basis. That doesn’t make him untradeable by any means but certainly makes keeping him around quite easy.
The Bulls may listen to offers for the veteran forward once again this offseason, but it’ll take fair compensation in order for them to move him. One thing they can count on by keeping Young is they will get his best effort night in and night out.