“I hold myself accountable. I do the work. I play hard.”

To the casual fan, Thaddeus Young‘s recent resurgence was born out of necessity as opposed to merit. But for those who know a thing or two about the 16-year veteran out of Georgia Tech, his return to relevance was inevitable.

After falling out of Nick Nurse’s rotation through the first 10 games (10.6 MPG), a distinction seemingly passed between Raptors’ bench players from year-to-year, the ever-versatile Young remained true to his principles, patiently waiting for his number to be called.

And boy, was he ready.

Albeit coming under dire circumstances brought on by a flurry of injuries that decimated both the starting five and bench rotation, the New Orleans, Louisiana native answered the bell the only way he knows how: with unwavering self-confidence and an unrelenting dedication to his craft.

Since rejoining the rotation nine games ago, seven as a starter, Young is averaging 9.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists on 56.5 percent from the field, with 14 total steals in 26.7 minutes per night. The veteran southpaw’s ‘do it all’ mentality has injected some stability into the Raptors rotation, helping the team stay afloat (5-4 record) during a trying battle with the injury bug.

16 years in the NBA is not a fluke. It’s a testament to Young’s ability to put his ego aside and realize how his strengths and limitations must be harnessed in order to maximize longevity and make an impact at the highest level.

“You don’t have to be a 20-point-per-game scorer to have a 16-year career,” preached Young at his annual Team Thad Camp held in Memphis, Tennessee. “I’m a 13 and 6 guy.”

He may be a ‘13 and 6 guy,’ an effective yet unglamorous archetype, but that’s exactly who Thad Young is. His stroke is awkward, he’s not the most nimble, who cares. He’s smarter, craftier, and more self-aware than 95 percent of his league contemporaries, and it’s continuing to shine through when his team needs it most, at age 34.

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