Joe Young would love to play for Utah Jazz or return to Indiana Pacers

During an Instagram live stream, free agent Joe Young expressed interest in joining the Utah Jazz or re-joining the Indiana Pacers.

Joe Young wants back in the NBA. Joe Young says he will be back in the NBA. Could that be with the Utah Jazz? Or maybe his former team, the Indiana Pacers?

I believe him, 100-percent. The former Pacers point guard has an excellent work-ethic. I mean, the guy spent a night on the floor of the Pacers’ practice facility back in late 2017. He woke up a few times, made 500 shots, and went back to sleep on the floor.

Young hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2017-2018 season, although he suited up for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2019 Summer League. He’s spent the last two seasons in China, where he’s averaged 36 points per game on better than 50-percent shooting from the field.

That’s what he does exceptionally well — he scores the basketball. He’s always been that way, dating back to his college days at Houston and Oregon.

At the NBA level, Young knew he needed to continue growing in other areas. He started taking his defense really seriously, picking up guys from 94-feet and annoying them in the process. That’s what led to an altercation between himself and Brandon Jennings.

Young played well for the Pacers in 2018, as the third-string point guard. Darren Collison underwent knee surgery in February of that year, moving Young to the backup point guard role. During that stretch, he averaged about 6 points per game while shooting 46-percent from deep. Overall, Young averaged 4 points per game on the season and shot 38-percent from three.

This isn’t the first time Young has expressed interest in joining the Jazz. He tweeted about them back in January, saying he loves their style of play.

https://twitter.com/JoeyBuckets3/status/1215514376356204544

Young will play anywhere, as long as he’s back in the NBA. The Jazz could be in need of a point guard, with Emmanuel Mudiay being a free agent once the season is over and with Mike Conley getting older.

The Pacers are in an interesting spot at point guard, with Malcolm Brogdon starting and an exciting prospect in Aaron Holiday behind him.

I just want to see Joe back in the league. Like I said, I believe him when he says he’ll be back. We’ll have to wait and see what team he’ll be on if/when he makes his return to the league. In the meantime, stay safe in China, Joey Buckets.