Thaddeus Young Reportedly Shut Down for Remainder of 2015-16 Season

Brooklyn Nets forward Thaddeus Young has reportedly been shut down for the remainder of the season despite the fact that he is currently healthy and available to play.  

Mike Mazzeo of ESPN reported the news, noting Brook Lopez is also being put on the shelf.

Signed to a new four-year, $50 million deal last summer, Young's averaging 15.1 points, nine rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 51.4 percent from the field during his first full season in Brooklyn. 

Although he's never been a particularly efficient shooter outside of the paint, Young's commitment to capitalizing on chaos around the basket has long been his greatest asset on both ends of the floor. During the 2014-15 season, Young was one of 12 qualified players to average at least 10 points, five rebounds and 1.5 steals. 

"My biggest thing is I just want to win basketball games, and that’s how I’ve been throughout the course of my career, just trying to win as many games as possible to help put my team in a position to where we can be successful," Young said in January, per the New York Post's Fred Kerber. "Obviously it’s not happening this year, but no matter what, I’m still going to go hard, 110 percent."

The Nets have another ball of energy in Thomas Robinson to mop up minutes at the 4 with Young out, but the fourth-year journeyman isn't quick enough to defend wing positions like Young. Chris McCullough will likely see an uptick in minutes as well as the Nets evaluate the roster before heading into the offseason. 

Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com.