With the absence of Mirza Teletovic, the Nets lacked a stretch 4 to space the floor. Garnett was never a three-point threat: he took just six attempts on the year, hitting one. Young is not the high-volume shooter that Teletovic is, but he has knocked down an efficient six of his ten looks from long distance since joining the Nets. Defenders think twice before helping off him.
Young’s range also allows the Nets to keep non-shooting wing Markel Brown on the floor. Defenders need not respect Brown’s shooting ability yet — he’s shooting just 26% on 27 three-point attempts on the year — which causes spacing issues when he is paired with another non-shooter. Indeed, when Brown and fellow space-killer Mason Plumlee share the floor, the Nets post a pedestrian 99.7 offensive rating, which would be good for 25th in the league. With Young and Brown, their offensive rating jumps to 109.6, which would be good for 2nd.
The Nets need Brown’s perimeter defense, and Young’s presence allows for that without mucking up the offensive space.
