By: Stephen Patterson
Sam Young has been on fire in recent weeks since becoming a starter for the Memphis Grizzlies, and that hot streak has burned even hotter with his expanded minutes during O.J. Mayo's suspension.
Young's productivity has greatly increased with the rise in minutes, but so has his confidence. That newly found confidence was on full display with a massive slam dunk over Andrew Bogut in last Friday night's victory over the Milwaukee Bucks.
Rudy Gay is usually the first player to come to mind when trying to think of the most talented dunker on the Grizzlies roster, but as Young showed, he clearly has some eye-popping dunks of his own and could probably give Gay a run for his money in a dunk contest.
If Young attacked the basket with that much force and fearlessness more regularly, he could become an even better scorer in the paint. Even if he can't finish the slam and only draws the foul, Young is an 86% free throw shooter this season and would easily increase his number of trips to the line each game.
The Grizzlies have been linked to plenty of trade rumors in recent weeks involving Mayo and given Young's recent improvement in play and the fact that his confidence seems to be growing with each passing game, the team may be more willing than ever to part with Mayo.
If Young can continue to provide the Grizzlies with electric dunks like this one over Bogut and entertain the fans in the seats, his recent increase in playing time may become permanent for the promising young guard.
