How quickly can 76ers contend? Answer found in Young's progress

Want to know why the 76ers are so excited about the future? Meet Thaddeus Young.

Want to know why they'll have to be patient in the meantime? You needed to be in Las Vegas last week while Young shot 3-of-13 from the field for eight points and had four turnovers in a victory against the Lakers at the summer league.

"You can't talk to him,'' 76ers coach Maurice Cheeks joked with a straight face as I spoke with Young after the game. "He was terrible.''

"I was horrible tonight,'' Young answered, "but all that counts is that win.''

The 76ers obviously hastened their post-Iverson turnaround this month by inserting Elton Brand next to Andre Miller and Andre Iguodala to create instant hopes of home-court advantage and advancement to the second round or beyond. But the latent promise of this team resides in the 6-foot-8 Young, an ambitious 20-year-old who surprised everyone by starting at power forward during Philadelphia's surge to the playoffs over the second half of last season.

Brand's arrival will shift Young to small forward next season. Young has the raw makings of a taller version of Iguodala, a versatile athlete who plugs into the Sixers' full-court style at both ends of the floor. But it will be asking a lot of him to make that transition as quickly as next season -- and without the fulfillment of his potential, the 76ers will have trouble challenging more experienced contenders like the Celtics, Pistons, Cavaliers or (if healthy) Wizards.

As the No. 12 pick, from Georgia Tech (where he averaged 14.4 points while shooting 41.9 percent on 93 attempts from the three-point line), Young was expected to learn from the bench last year. But that changed in December when new president and general manager Ed Stefanski traded Kyle Korver to Utah for the twin goals of clearing cap space (which led to the signing of Brand) and creating playing time for Young and other young talents as the 76ers embraced their new full-court identity. Young responded with an impressive 8.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in 21.0 minutes overall. He shot 53.9 percent by scoring in transition and off the glass while playing within his means.

"It was much easier to play the 4 last year because all you had to do was set a lot of screens and go out there and bang and try to contribute,'' Young said last week. "Now they're looking for a little bit more this year and that's the hardest part, to see if you can step up to the test.''

The 76ers believe he can handle it.

"He's going to make some mistakes and I've told him, 'Go ahead and make those mistakes. Play in the flow and don't be concerned about turning the ball over and taking shots,' '' Cheeks said. "And he's been great.''