Joe Young is a second-round draft pick who has all of one training camp practice under his elastic waistband, but this much seems apparent: the Pacers have never had a more eager or innocent rookie, with purer intentions. The potential isn't bad, either.
This is the guy, remember, who organized 8 a.m. chalk talks with the underclassmen early his senior season at Oregon to get them up to speed on college basketball. The guy who calls most everyone "sir." The guy who keeps bringing up his desire to "learn from the vets." The guy who's already thinking about starting a program to help make the streets safer back home in Houston. The guy who mostly keeps to himself away from the gym, and reads self-help books in his free time.
And here's one that will no doubt perk up some ears in certain places around Indianapolis: he's looking for a church, and plans to tithe one-seventh of his salary. He's already done the math and doesn't mind sharing. It will mean a monthly donation between $8-9,000 for some organization.
"I'm committed to it," he says.
It's probably not a good idea to come calling on him, though. His mother, Tina, will join him soon, and they'll do their own scouting.
His older brother, Michael, also will be coming to town. Joe's going to pay for him to complete the final two years required for his Business degree, at IUPUI. He began his education at the University of Houston, and has sat out a year.
"Get him going, you know?" Young says.
All of this might seem a lot of responsibility for an NBA rookie to assume, but he plans to keep his life simple and efficient.
"My circle is small," he says. "If I'm not home, I'm in the gym. If I'm at home, I'm either watching TV or reading a book. It's not rocket science to be successful. I just try to do the little things to get better.
"I'm not a big fan of the big purchases right now, because I know I've got a second contract coming. I just have to keep working. I know it's a process, building on what I have now."
What Young is building on seems to be a solid foundation to his professional career. He was the Pac-10 Player of the Year last season, after leading the conference in scoring (19.8), hitting game-winning shots in consecutive games against Arizona State and Washington and scoring 30 against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament, and then leading the Orlando Summer League in scoring (22.5) with the Pacers in June.
He might well have become a first-round draft pick if he hadn't sprained his ankle in his first pre-draft workout, which happened to be with the Pacers. Most of the media attention that day was focused on two other point guards who wound up going in the first round, Murray State's Cameron Payne (14) and Notre Dame's Jerian Grant (19). But Young, so far, has the look of a first-round talent, too.
"I'm very excited about Joe Young," coach Frank Vogel said following Tuesday's practice at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "He's a great, great shooter, and a great attitude guy."
Team president Larry Bird already has said he expects Young to earn a place in the playing rotation, and Vogel doesn't differ. The tipping points for the rookie, as with most rookie point guards, will be holding his own defensively and keeping the turnovers from vomiting on the box score. He had seven of them on the first day of scrimmaging with his new teammates a couple of weeks ago because he was jumping before passing and not finding teammates coming off screens.
"But his ability to score the basketball isn't at a second-round level, I can tell you that much," Vogel says.
Young bursts with enthusiasm and confidence. It's polite confidence, but confidence just the same. He's 23-years-old and has been planning to play in the NBA since he began college. He knows already he has the physical tools and skills to make it in the league. His future will hinge on the mental aspect of playing point guard, and he makes it a point to ask questions of the coaches and veterans daily.
"I don't think anybody can stay with me, but it's about making the right reads, the right plays," he says. "Just play the game, don't be stuck, or play like a robot.
"Just play. That's all I can really do, go out there and do the right things, be in the spots at the defensive end, make the right plays."
Young will wear No. 1 with the Pacers. That's not a brash declaration of anything, but a way of connecting family. He wore No. 3 in college, but George Hill has that locked down. Paul George, whom he discovered is a cousin after the draft, has switched to No. 13. So, by combining his college number with his NBA number, Young has a 13 of his own.
"It kind of fits together," he says. "That's how I think."
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