Pacers fans, meet Joey Buckets
ORLANDO — Living up to his Twitter moniker, Joe Young made quite the first impression Monday afternoon during the Indiana Pacers' summer league game against an Orlando Magic squad.
Young, better known as @JoeyBuckets3 to his more than 8,600 followers, microwaved his debut by connecting on four consecutive long jump shots in the first quarter. At one point, Young, the 6-2 combo guard, had nine of the team's 13 points, with his two assists creating the Pacers' only other points.
A stomach illness knocked Young out last week, he arrived in Orlando on Sunday and only learned of his starting role upon arriving at the Amway Center before the 1 p.m. game. He naturally still got buckets.
"That's what they got me for," Young said with a smile.
Young, drafted by the Pacers with the 43rd selection, played more than 21 minutes and cooled off in time. After his sizzling start, Young missed his next 10 attempts, including three at the rim when the length of the Magic's bigs disrupted and swatted down his layups. Overall, Young finished with those nine points, plus four assists and four turnovers in the Pacers' 85-76 loss. Not at all what he envisioned but still a bit impressive when considering how Young has lived off a diet of oatmeal and Gatorade for the past few days and recently recovered from a foot injury.
"I thought I could've done way better. My energy level was up there but I felt a little fatigued because I haven't really been eating a lot," Young said. "I couldn't keep anything down, so I was really just going off fumes. I still went out there and tried to play as hard as I can with nothing on my stomach."
After Young participated in the Pacers' first pre-draft workout on May 18, he sprained a ligament in his foot. The injury limited Young's auditions around the NBA but it worked out because he was still on the board when the Pacers chose their second-round draft pick.
"We liked Joe all year, so we were surprised he'd be there but he's there and we got him," team president of basketball operations Larry Bird said on draft night. "We got to get him integrated with what we're going to do and hopefully, he can get the ball up and down the court a little bit faster."
However, that integration period consisted of only one practice. After the draft, Young began to experience discomfort in his stomach. Young could not keep food down. Even drinking water made his stomach bubble, he said. So Young sat on the sidelines and watched as the summer league roster practiced, trying to take note of the plays. By Monday afternoon, Young started at point and ran some similar Pacers' sets but looked more at ease when controlling the tempo and looking for his shot.
Early in the first quarter, Young took advantage of the Magic guard Keith Appling's defensive pressure by catching him with a quick pull-up jumper. Young absorbed the slap and after the shot swished in, he walked to the free throw line for the 3-point play. He was only getting warmed up.
In a very promising sequence, fellow rookie Myles Turner blocked a shot and Young took off down the court for a quick jumper just inside the 3-point arc. He started seeing more pressure on the pick-and-roll but still got a jumper to fall through while being well defended. By the 3:40 mark, Young grabbed a seat and a cup of Gatorade and rested with a line of 4-for-4 from the floor for nine points. When the ball was in his hand, the result ended in Pacers' points.
"They just wanted me to be aggressive, just be aggressive," Young said of the coaches' instructions. "Run the plays the way they're supposed to and execute the plays and I did the best I can do. I missed a couple practices but I'm a quick learner. I feel like (Tuesday) in practice, we'll be dialed in because it's my first practice and I'm very excited for it."
Young did not rediscover the red-hot touch after returning to the game but there remains much to look forward to in the future. According to his agent, Young is expected to sign with the Pacers in a week or so. Also, the Pacers play three more games in Orlando this week, more than enough time for Young to recapture his shooting stroke.
"I'm learning right now. I think that's what summer league is about," Young said. "I'll try not to get frustrated off this game. I've got some film to watch and just (try to) make it better.
"I'm a big guy on watching film, just see the things I did right and things I didn't do right and put it all together. I feel like Thursday and Friday — it's going to be pretty nice."
Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.