Surviving without Swaggy P

"Kobe is still Batman, but he need a little help." - Nick Young, July 31

That quote perfectly encapsulates the Swaggy P experience in Los Angeles. For all its jest, it's by no means inaccurate. Young is at the same time the clown prince of Hollywood and a valuable asset to a Lakers team woefully thin on them.

This offseason, the Lakers gifted the swingman a four-year, $21.3-million contract that raised some eyebrows. It's the only contract on the team's books in the summer of 2016, save for Julius Randle's rookie-scale deal, which he'll almost surely still be on. The team wavered from its strategy of no long-term commitments to secure Young, even though he's better known for his off-court antics than his on-court production.

The off-court stuff is a big part of the draw with Young from a fan's perspective. He's personable and funny, bringing an air of levity to proceedings that can become monotonous over an 82-game schedule or four-month offseason. He's eminently likeable, and while that opinion is hardly universal, it would be tough to craft an argument that Young's high public profile detracts from his production.

The 'P' stands for 'Production' 

That production is appreciable, and it stands in paucity on the Lakers' depth chart.

The quote about being a sidekick to Bryant's Batman cuts to this, even if Young didn't give his comment any visceral thought. Bryant is a superstar, and apparently reason enough for the Lakers to trumpet championship aspirations. Over the past few seasons, though, Kobe's lacked help. Bryant lost his 2013-14 season to injury, opening the door for Young to prove himself a capable running mate.

Young averaged a career-high 17.9 points over 64 games last season. Part of that was due to extended run and responsibility, as he nearly matched a career high in minutes and set a new high-water mark for usage rate, a measure of the percentage of a team's possessions a player uses. What was impressive, though, was that Young had his most efficient offensive season, rating above average in player efficiency rating and true shooting percentage for the first time. 

On a general league-wide basis, efficiency declines as usage goes up. The fact Young was burdened with a greater load at 28 and became more efficient in the process signals real skills growth. 

Nightwing

Young playing Nightwing to Bryant's Batman actually seemed a passable offensive strategy entering the coming season. While Bryant plays shooting guard, Young has generally played both the two and three. Young was set to fill the scoring load while Bryant rested, hopefully for about 16 minutes a night. He would then play second fiddle for another 15 minutes or so, sharing the floor with Bryant, providing an additional ball-handling presence, and at times playing decoy or spotting up to hit threes (at his 37.7 percent career clip).

Many scoffed at the idea of Bryant sharing the ball with Young, or even getting along with him (we, however, see a budding friendship). Bryant doesn't suffer fools lightly. But he's also realistic and hyper-competitive, and if Young is helping, Bryant will surely embrace him. 

It was announced Friday that Young has torn a ligament in his right thumb and could be sidelined for up to eight weeks. For now, it stands as tragic comedy: Young was hurt trying to steal the ball from Bryant.

An eight-week recovery would have Young back in action about a month into the season, having missed somewhere from 15 to 20 games.

Surviving without Swaggy

On the surface, Swaggy P's injury doesn't seem like a death knell. 

But the Lakers are operating with a very thin margin for error in 2014-15. Their goal, publicly stated or otherwise, is to try and sneak into the playoffs, and even that stands as unrealistic. In the Western Conference, every point is going to matter; losing Young - one of the Lakers' best offensive weapons, and a below average but far from horrid defender - for a quarter of the season is significant. 

Young's absence will also highlight one of the Lakers' flaws: perceived additional depth for this season doesn't exist on the wing. Without Young spotting in at the two and three, head coach Byron Scott will have to experiment; he'll likely try some two point-guard lineups, and may even explore playing Randle for stretches at the three.

None of the candidates to replace Young's minutes, and his role as one of the league's best sixth men, are comfortable ones. The Swaggy-free Lakers' depth chart (also missing Xavier Henry at present), one through three, is unsightly:

• PG: Steve Nash (health risk in perpetuity), Jeremy Lin
• PG/SG: Jordan Clarkson
• SG/SF: Bryant, Wesley Johnson
• Non-guaranteed camp invites (for two roster spots): Keith Appling, Jabari Brown, Roscoe Smith, Ronnie Price, Wayne Ellington

Young's absence stands out. The second unit lacks scoring, the roster lacks bodies capable of helping at multiple wing positions, and there's a striking dearth of players who can be trusted to create their own looks.

It would be very easy to shrug off Young's month-long absence. He's a volume scorer who provides little else on the hardwood, not to mention the fact it can be tough to see him as a basketball player first. 

Taking one's self seriously is not the same as taking one's work seriously, though, and the entertainment value Young provides shouldn't mask the importance of his absence for the Lakers.