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365 days ago Sixer fans were shocked to hear the name Thaddeus Young on draft night. I, like everyone else was ready for Al Thornton to join the Sixers. If it wasn't Al Thornton it had to be either Julian Wright, Spencer Hawes or possibly a trade to get Yi. Thad Young was a shocker, but in hindsight, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Unlike the polished Al Thornton, Thaddeus Young came into the league as the second youngest player behind Kevin Durant. He was drafted as a freshman out of Georgia Tech where he averaged less than spectacular statistics of 14 point and 5 rebounds. The raw-talented Young had a rough start to the 2007-2008. I expected to see him play a little more and Willie Green play a little less coming into the season, but that was not the case. Young averaged a minuscule 8 minutes a game in the month of November and looked completely out of place. I was starting to believe the great Billy King made yet another mistake.

However; as the season went on, things began to change. Thad was coming into ballgames and making plays. He not only got to the rim with ease, but he also used veteran-like post moves to get shots off over taller defenders. Along with his efficient production on the offensive end, Thad showed incredible poise on defense and often locked down his opponent for stretches in the game. Late in the season, during the Sixers playoff push, Thad began to start some games at power forward depending on the match ups. The decision to move Thaddeus into the starting lineup was a combination of newly appointed Ed Stefanksi calling for the young players to get more minutes and Thad just flat out earning the spot with his sparkling play. The Sixers were 13-9 in games where Young started and according to the Lenovo Stat (+/-) the best Sixer lineup for the year was Lou Williams, Rodney Carney, Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Jason Smith. Thad also had a (+/-) stat of 184, a whopping 136 better than the next best Sixer. No surprise there.

Mr. Young has a very bright future in this league. There were many times this season where I had to ask myself who would emerge as the go-to guy first, Andre Iguodala or Thaddeus Young? Thad reminds me of a mentally tough, consistent Lamar Odom. However; even that comparison is conservative. It really would not surprise me if Thaddeus developed into a perennial all-star, if not a superstar. Now that he has a full season under his belt, not to mention some post-season experience, I expect Thaddeus to have a monster year in 08-09. Keep in mind this guy probably had less than ten plays run for him all season. Time to unleash the beast.