He’s not playing much, but Lakers’ Nick Young has been taking care of business

Reporting from Minneapolis  —  Every time fans at Staples Center chant his name, or “We want Swag-gy,” Nick Young motions for them to quiet down. He has dubbed himself the Most Hated Player, after all.

“You know [now] I’m most loved,” Young said. “The hate is what made them love me in the end. You go through ups and downs.”

Those ups and downs are what caused Young initially to name his clothing line Most Hated Player (it’s now simply called Most Hated). It was an effort to embrace the ire directed toward him last summer — a time when he didn’t know whether he’d still be in the NBA, during which his engagement dissolved, and when he refocused himself on trying to extend his career.

“Feel like I had a target on my back,” Young said. “We used it in a positive way. I know a lot of people felt the same way. Most hated. It’s actually been getting a lot of press, doing good. Just to see people wearing it, asking about it, seeing it sell is kind of dope.”

It started as just an emblem between friends. It was the name of Young’s Drew League team this summer. Jordan Clarkson wears Most Hated apparel often. But as the Lakers started off the season 10-10, winning more than many expected, people started noticing Young’s Most Hated Player apparel and asking about it.

The first bit of that press came from GQ Magazine, where Young debuted his line. According to the magazine, Young is the first professional athlete to have a free-standing clothing brand.

They’re a small operation. Young says the business side is run by two people out of an office in downtown Los Angeles. But Young has plans for more. He wants to have a fashion show in June, around his 32^nd birthday.

That could be an interesting time for Young’s career. His contract has one more year on it, at $5.67 million. Young has the option to opt out of that contract and seek a longer term deal elsewhere. Young said he feels confident about the off-season, but hasn’t decided yet what he will do. The deadline for that decision is June 21.

For now, Young is adjusting to his new role. He hasn’t played in the past six games and is likely to not play the rest of the season. Lakers Coach Luke Walton said it wouldn’t be fair to just play him a few minutes per game.

Young is an L.A. native, and called being a Laker a “dream come true.” With the decision in his hands, he hasn’t decided what he’ll do yet about next year.

“Of course I’ve thought about it,” Young said. “We’re going to see what happens this summer. I’ll talk to my agent. Had a good year, feel confident about this off-season. We’ll see what happens.”

Ingram close to return

Brandon Ingram can’t remember a time when he had to sit out games due to injury. Most of his injuries have been minor enough that he played despite them.

“I understand how at this point in the season why it can affect the off-season, me going in, having a nagging injury,” Ingram said. “Just trying to let it heal before I go back out there.”

Ingram missed three games with patella tendinitis, but he was able to work out before the Lakers played the Timberwolves on Thursday. Walton expects him to practice on Friday in Los Angeles and he’ll be evaluated after that.

Setback for Zubac

Lakers center Ivica Zubac played only two minutes and 14 seconds Thursday, leaving the game early with an injury.

Zubac suffered a high right ankle sprain. An x-ray returned negative for fractures, the Lakers said. While the injury is normally one that takes several weeks to heal, Zubac hopes he’ll get good news after another x-ray Friday.

“To be honest I don’t know,” Zubac said, when asked how he suffered the injury. “I just rolled it. I’m not sure if I stepped on somebody’s foot or what. I don’t know. Just rolled it.”

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