When the New Orleans Pelicans signed undrafted big man Patric Young last summer there were high hopes among many fans. With his size, mobility and defensive instincts, Young seemed to be the perfect long-term backup big man for a team that needed to find ways to get cost controlled steals on an older roster.
Unfortunately for Young and the Pelicans, things didn’t work out as well as either side hoped, as Young played well in Summer League and earned a roster spot out of training camp. But there was no real opportunity for Young to play as the Pelicans were locked into Omer Asik, Anthony Davis, Ryan Anderson and Alexis Ajinca in the rotation and had Jeff Withey as an emergency plan.