Ink on Indy
Fansided

Indiana Pacers: What Does Aaron Brooks’ Signing Mean For Joe Young?

By Garrett Hagan

Apr 9, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) drives around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 9, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Aaron Brooks (0) drives around Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Wierzbicki-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The Indiana Pacers signed guard Aaron Brooks to a one-year, $2.5 million contract on Monday. Does the signing mean that guard Joe Young’s time with the team is ticking?

The Indiana Pacers added another solid contributor to their team Monday evening, agreeing to a contract with former Chicago Bull’s point guard Aaron Brooks, per Shams Charania of the Vertical.

There is good news and bad news to this signing, to which we can start with the good news first. The good news is that with Brooks, the Pacers get a versatile and solid backup guard to come off of the bench in place of Jeff Teague.

The bad news — at least if you’re Joe Young — is that it is likely that Young could very well find himself in the bottom-half of the Pacers’ rotation in 2016.

When the Pacers used their 2nd-round pick on Young in the 2015 NBA Draft, he appeared to look like a complete steal.

Playing collegiate basketball for the Oregon Ducks in 2015, Young averaged 20.7 points, 3.8 assists and 4.4 rebounds — having played in 36 total games for the Ducks his senior season.

Brooks was drafted by the Houston Rockets with the 26th selection in the 2007 NBA Draft. Through eight seasons in the NBA, he has averaged 10.7 points and 3.2 rebounds while shooting 41% from the floor. His numbers may not be terrific, but they certainly are what you would expect from a back-up guard in today’s NBA.

So what does the signing mean for Young? Given the fact that the Pacers likely won’t cut him since he’s under a fully guaranteed contract, he will either find himself in the bottom of the rotation or bouncing back-and-forth between the D-League and the Pacers’ regular season roster — as he often did last year. Given the team’s depth at the guard positions, the talent level is just too high for Young to find himself playing relevant minutes.

Having appeared in 41 games with the Pacers last season, Young averaged just 3.8 points — playing in just 9.8 minutes per-game.

Next: Indiana Pacers Add More Firepower by Signing Aaron Brooks

On the level of what the team may decide to do with Young, it’s likely that they will demote him to the developmental league in hopes that he can translate his collegiate and D-League success to the NBA on a nightly basis. Team president Larry Bird could also look into trading Young — while a possibly option, it is not very likely to happen, however.

Be sure to follow Ink On Indy as we continue our coverage of the Indiana Pacers’ offseason.

More from Ink on Indy

Home/Indiana Pacers