After the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Indiana Pacers, Nick Young was furious.
After the game, he stormed out of the locker room without speaking to the media. He was understandably upset: the Lakers had lost their 17th game out of the last 20; the team was on a five-game losing streak; and Young had gone 1-7 from long range and missed 11 of his 16 shots on the night.
At Thursday’s practice, he was asked what in particular he was frustrated with in the aftermath of Tuesday’s loss. After all, the Lakers were not expected to beat the Indiana Pacers, who entered the contest with the best record in the NBA.
“A little bit of everything,” Young tried to explain how his frustrations boiled over. “I was a little disappointed in myself. Sometimes losing adds up. It gets to you. You know, I found myself down, but I had the day off yesterday, cooled down a little bit, and hung out with my son, went to the beach. Now, I’m back in good spirits.”
Young, contrary to his name, is a far more mature spirit than the attitude on the court, the fashion in the locker room and the swagger in his speech imply. On his off day, he went to the beach with his family. Afterward, he went home with his son, and Young joked that Swaggy P Jr. was teaching him how to shoot. All the while, Young smiled as he talked about how his family helped him get past the losing.
That’s not to say Young was happy with the losing. He wasn’t. However, he was doing his best to look forward, be optimistic and perform at the level expected of him.
“You know, we’ve been fighting and we’re at the bottom. We’ve got nowhere else to go but up,” Young started out. “As long as the fight is there, we’re not quitting, not giving up. You know, we’ve got to take pride in being on that court, like I always say, and fighting. Try your best to get a win.”
On Friday night at Staples Center, Young and the Lakers try to break the losing streak and get a win against the Charlotte Bobcats.
