Nick Young has ‘Swaggy’ Golden State debut despite opening loss

MANILA, Philippines – Before there was a Hoodie Melo or a Gym LeBron, there was Swaggy P. Unlike Iggy Azalea, Nick Young didn’t leave that personality in Los Angeles. 

Now residing higher up north in Oakland with the Golden State Warriors, Young hogged the spotlight from his All-Star teammates on opening night like a true Hollywood boy. Despite the crushing 122-121 loss at the hands of the new and improved Houston Rockets, Swaggy P led the squad with 23 points in 26 minutes on a near-perfect 6-7 clip from downtown, outscoring Finals MVP Kevin Durant’s 20, two-time MVP Steph Curry’s 22 and three-point champ Klay Thompson’s 16.

Of course, this has “fluke” written all over it, but it still shows just how more dangerous the defending champion Golden State has grown over the off-season. Aside from re-signing their main pillars in Durant and Curry to multi-year deals, the Warriors were still able to snag a pair of snipers in Young and Omri Casspi for the veteran’s minimum of $2 million. Both have been known to heat up in a moment’s notice and will bolster the Warriors’ gargantuan offensive arsenal even more.

The main difference this time around is that both are shooting to win instead of shooting for stats. Previously, the veteran Young resided in LA at the wrong time – during a rare rebuilding period. Casspi, meanwhile, played for the Sacramento Kings, which needs no further explanation. 

Today, as they start rolling down the hill of their primes, they are now both playing for the best California team (sorry, Clippers) with the best chance of winning that ever-elusive championship. 

Swaggy P has had his fun in Tinseltown. Now, it’s time for work, and he’s off to a good start. – Rappler.com