There is a new leader in town as the Birmingham Squadron gets ready to begin their 2021 / 22 NBA campaign.
The New Orleans Pelicans G-League affiliate made some impressive acquisitions during the offseason, but the most notable was the signing of the 29 year-old guard Joe Young.
Young, who played with the Indiana Pacers three seasons and made multiple NBA Playoff appearances, was the No. 10 overall pick in this year's G-League Draft.
Team bonding
The versatile guard is already assuming his role as the leader of the Squadron not only on the court, but off of it as well. Young took the entire squad for dinner at the Ruth's Chris Steak House in Birmingham one week into training camp.
Birmingham Squadron G Joe Young taking the team for dinner at Ruth Chris. Becoming a leader from day one at Alabama! #NBAGLeague pic.twitter.com/rd32yMVutm
— Eduardo Villalpando (@eduardovh_mx) October 28, 2021
The Squadron are expected to have a solid season in the G-League considering the team has some players with NBA experience despite being such a young group.
Along with Young, Zylan Cheatham and Jared Harper have also played in the league with Pelicans and New York Knicks respectively.
Leader
'MightyJoeYoung' will attempt to continue his good career momentum after a successful stint last season in the Chinese Basketball Association, in which he averaged a league high of 38.3 points, 6.4 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Leading a young team in the G-League won't be anything new for Young, who took the Nanjing Tongxi Monkey Kings to the playoffs at the point guard position.
Not only playing on the ball, Young has multiple facets of his game, such as playing off the ball and contributing a solid defense, which could potentially help the Squadron make the league playoffs.