Young embraced the memo wholeheartedly.
\u201cThat ain\u2019t no foul,\u201d Young said as the play concluded in points for his team.
\u201cI don\u2019t want to jinx myself,\u201d Young said. \u201cI just get extra shots up every day after practice. Playing with confidence. I think that\u2019s the best thing for me.\u201d
Against Dallas on Thursday, Young made his first six shots, five of them three-pointers. But after making his first four three-pointer in the first quarter, his opportunities dwindled. Young didn\u2019t shoot in the second quarter, and shot only twice each in the third and fourth quarters. The Lakers lost, 101-89.
\u201cI think we got away from him a little bit in terms of moving the ball, everybody making the next pass, getting the open shot,\u201d Clarkson said.
All Young can do is keep shooting when his opportunities come.
But as he does that, Walton is making sure Young isn\u2019t forgetting the other half \u2014 the half the Lakers have struggled with as a whole, and that Young has in the past. He\u2019s at the point where the stops feel just as good as the baskets.
\u201cOh yeah, for sure,\u201d Young said. \u201cI like to talk trash, too.\u201d
The Lakers were 2-14 in December, the worst December record in the NBA. They beat only the Clippers and the Philadelphia 76ers.
The Brooklyn Nets ranked 29th in victories in December with three, one against the Lakers. The 76ers, Phoenix Suns , Portland Trail Blazers and Miami Heat each won only four games in December, and one of the Heat\u2019s victories came against the Lakers.
The Lakers ranked 27th in field-goal percentage, committed the second-most turnovers and had the second-worst defensive rating in the league during the last month of the year.
Zubac averaged 16.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 29.6 minutes per game with the D-Fenders.<\/p>\n