Thaddeus Young played more minutes against the Bulls than any other team last season.



His 139 minutes against Chicago were five more than he amassed against fellow Central Division rival Cleveland. On sample size alone, there’s no better indicator of what Young will do for the Bulls than what he did against them.



Young appeared in all four contests against the Bulls in 2018-19 and helped Indiana sweep the series. But these weren’t unfair fights. Three of the four were decided by six points or fewer. The Pacers won the fourth game by nine, but that contest was tied inside the final six minutes.



Equally significant is that all four games were played at least one month apart. The final game of the series came in March, two months after the penultimate meeting. That spacing provided a truer representation of Young’s impact as both teams had ample time to evolve and adapt to the natural changes within a marathon NBA season.



For instance,...