Nick Young Could See Himself in the Studio One Day
By Liam McKeone
Nick Young, AKA Swaggy P, hasn't been part of an NBA game since December 2018. But that doesn't mean he's away from the game. Far from it. Young makes regular appearances on Outta Pocket via buckets alongside LaJethro Jenkins, Josiah Johnson, and Zach Schwartz. It's always fun when Young shows up because the insight of a guy whose been on the court with the stars is invaluable. And, obviously, because Young is as entertaining as they get.
Near the end of the most recent episode, Young answered a question from The Big Lead asking if he'd ever consider doing studio analysis in the vein of JJ Redick, Kendrick Perkins, and Richard Jefferson. Young said he could see himself following that route in the future.
Johnson made a great point that they are doing something just like that on Outta Pocket. Fair enough!
It does feel like the nearly-instant success of Redick and Perkins will open up a lot of opportunities for players to come on cable television. We live in an age where anybody can talk ball to a large audience as long as they're willing to find the right platform. Yet, until recently, places like ESPN were still reserved for either sports talk lifers or former players who put in a ton of work to prepare themselves, similar to what Vince Carter described to The Big Lead last month. That isn't to say guys like Redick and Perk didn't put in that work, but they didn't dip their toes into the media game like Carter did in the twilight years of his career. Everyone knew Carter would be on TV as soon as his career ended.
You don't even need to be retired to go on TV anymore. CJ McCollum just signed a deal to appear on ESPN during the network's Finals coverage. Draymond Green has been regular spots on Inside The NBA for years now. Patrick Beverley just had a week where he was on all of ESPN's morning shows for reasons we still don't understand.
The door is always open, especially for guys like Young who have a rolodex of stories from their playing days and the willingness to share them. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him on NBA Today one of these days.