Thaddeus Young on difficulty of learning the Raptors’ schemes

New Toronto Raptor Thaddeus Young on the hardest parts about learning the offence and defence for a team that plays a position-less style. Follow Yahoo Sports Canada for all your Raptors coverage.

Video Transcript

- I guess, first, how was your first impression of playing with your new teammates?

THADDEUS YOUNG: It's a lot to learn. Obviously I've been traded before, but just coming into a different situation, you're just trying to feel things out and just making sure that when you go out there, you're doing the things that's going to help the team win. Obviously we didn't win, we actually got blown out tonight, but I got a chance to play. I mean, this would be my fourth game played since I think January 1st.

So yeah. So it's just a matter of me just kind of finding my way and then just kind of getting acclimated with the new offense and what we're going to be doing out there, kind of piece matching where I'm going to fit in at. And then also, just trying to get myself back in game play and rhythm.

- [INAUDIBLE] was saying earlier, he spent a lot of time in the [INAUDIBLE] last couple days. How would they like for a guy [INAUDIBLE] concepts [INAUDIBLE]?

THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah. I mean, it's super easy to grasp concepts. Usually, all they have to do is just kind of like tell me the name of what we're doing or how we're playing and stuff like that and I can kind of just fill in. I think the biggest and hardest part is I'm learning multiple positions as opposed to one or two positions. I'm learning anywhere from one on down to the five now because all the pieces are interchangeable on the court. So I think that's one of the hardest parts about learning the offense, that we have so many similar guys that can push the ball and start to the and start the plays and start the initial offense that it's a little harder to kind of learn the offense from every single position.

You're trying to learn five positions in one day. But other than that, for the most part offense is not that hard. 15 years, I've seen a whole bunch. Pretty much everybody's kind of running the same stuff with a few tweaks here and there. But other than that, nothing's really too hard.

- [INAUDIBLE]?

THADDEUS YOUNG: Yeah. I mean, a lot of the lineups that I'm probably going to be out there would be like switching lineups. So that's not as hard, either. Obviously, me, that's what I've been known for is playing defense. So I can improvise on the court. But the thing when you start improvising is that's one, maybe two guys improvising, the other three don't know what you're doing. So that's what makes it a little bit harder because we're not on the same page.

I mean, that was my first game playing with these guys so for me, I just-- and we haven't had practice time where we were five on five. So I don't want to just be out there just mixing things up. But for the most part, just going out there, just playing, getting the feel for it, and then just figuring out how I can help the guys.

JENNIFER QUINN: Go ahead, Phil.

PHILIP SUMMERS: Thanks, Jen. We're going to go to Michael Grange from SportsNet.

MICHAEL GRANGE: Hey, Thad Thanks for coming out. Just maybe where are you in terms of getting settled in all the other parts of your life after this kind of whirlwind since Thursday? Is anything kind of taking shape or you're still just living out of your suitcase and figuring it out?

THADDEUS YOUNG: Right now, just still living out of my suitcase. The crazy part is, we were in the midst-- in San Antonio, we were in the midst of a road trip. So I was in Atlanta when I got traded. So I was living out my suitcase. The good thing is we have All-Star break coming up and my wife and my brother did a phenomenal job of packing everything up and getting everything back to Dallas where we stay. So now I can just kind of go and try to get my life together over the All-Star break.

Today was like the first day I-- actually here, today was like the first day I've seen my kids in like two weeks. And my wife solved that. That was a bright spot for the simple fact that I've been kind of on the road and just kind of piece matching everything together.

MICHAEL GRANGE: Appreciate that. Thank you. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your break when you get it.

THADDEUS YOUNG: Thank you.

PHILIP SUMMERS: I don't see any more hands for you, Thad. Thanks very much for the time.

THADDEUS YOUNG: No problem.

- [INAUDIBLE].

THADDEUS YOUNG: Yup.

- So the whole family came down?

THADDEUS YOUNG: Huh?