Nick Young Becomes 3rd Player to Post a 20-Point Half on Team Debut in 10 Years

Golden State Warriors' shooting guard Nick Young scored 20 points in the first half of Tuesday's season-opening 122-121 loss to the Houston Rockets. By doing so, he joined just LeBron James and Joe Johnson as the only players to score at least 20 points in a single half during a team debut in the last 10 years, per the Elias Sports Bureau (via ESPN.com).

Young only scored three points in the second half, giving him a team-high 23 points for the night. However, he was dialed in when he shot the ball. Over 26 minutes on the floor he made eight of his nine shots, including six of seven from behind the arc.

James made his debut in South Beach with the Miami Heat in 2010 by scoring 27 second-half points. Johnson accomplished the feat as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2016 with a 27-point barrage, which also came in the second half.

Prior to signing a one-year deal with Golden State during the offseason, Young had spent the last four years with the Los Angeles Lakers. Over that stretch, he averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game across 220 contests.

Young appeared in 60 games during the 2016 season, all of which came as a starter. It was a resurgent year for the then-31-year-old, averaging 13.2 points per game and shooting 40.4 percent from deep, his highest mark since the 2009-10 season.

Last season's performance came with a depleted Lakers squad. Now a member of a talent-rich Warriors team, Young seems destined to fill a reduced role. However, the veteran can still prove to be a valuable asset to the defending champions, particularly by way of the three-pointer, as he demonstrated Tuesday.

The Warriors will look to pick up their first win of the season when they head on the road for a tilt against the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday.