It is one of the highest compliments Jim Boylen could pay to one of his players.
“Thad’s a pro,’’ the Bulls coach has said several times this season, when discussing veteran forward Thaddeus Young.
That professionalism, however, has been tested.
According to several sources, including a teammate, Young has been unhappy with his role with his new team, specifically the minutes he’s been given, and if things don’t improve the Bulls shouldn’t be surprised if Young’s camp asks for a trade now that he’s eligible to be moved after signing a three-year, $41 million deal back on July 6.
What Young won’t do is make that unhappiness public.
“I’m good with whatever Coach sees fit to do with me,’’ Young told the Sun-Times, when asked about his role. “Obviously everybody wants to be on the court more, everybody wants to be on the floor as much as possible. For me it’s just be productive with the time I am given.’’
Young has watched his minutes go from 30.7 per game last season with the Pacers to 21.6 per game with the Bulls.
The other part of this is Young would also like to close games, and feel his experience would benefit the Bulls.
“Of course,’’ Young said, when asked about wanting to be on the floor in the final minutes of games. “I’ve been closing for years. But like I said if Coach decides to go with a different unit, different guys then I have to go with that and try and be one of the guys that’s ready to go when my number is called.’’
It might not be a bad number to call.
Last season with Indiana, Young had the third-best offensive rating in the fourth quarter of games of the regulars, as well as shooting 51 percent from the field in the final stanza.
Considering how many late-game leads the Bulls starters have given away already this season, the 31-year-old has a good point.
However, Young is choosing to control only what he can control.
What that means for him right now is doing all he can to make the Bulls second unit a team strength. The Wednesday win over Atlanta was a good way to start.
Because of injuries to Chandler Hutchison and Otto Porter Jr., as well as the poor play of Luke Kornet, the Bulls bench underwent a reboot the last few weeks.
In for Kornet is rookie Daniel Gafford, No. 7 overall pick Coby White is now playing the lead guard, and Denzel Valentine has been dusted off from a handful of DNP [Did Not Play] Coach’s Decision from earlier this season and turned loose. Boylen has been staggering a starter in with the group at times, as well as using Ryan Arcidiacono.
The team’s co-captain has been anchoring it all.
“I think we’re a really cohesive unit that gets the game going and moving,’’ Young said. “We get out there on the defensive end, but also on the offensive end we get the ball moving, get it flowing. Everyone’s getting touches.
“That group is really good because we’re different than the first one. The first one was scoring, and we’re a mixture of different guys that are hard-nosed, going to go out there and play defense.’’
The Hawks saw that, as Young finished the game with 15 points and a plus-33 in the plus/minus category. Valentine finished a plus-22, while White was plus-20.
“We play the right way,’’ Valentine said of the second unit. “We’re all selfless in that second group, and we just want to have a good impact on the game.
“It’s about taking it to that next level. If we’ve got that lead, extending the lead, or if we’re down, getting that lead. Positive impact, whatever we can do.’’
