The Indiana Pacers have selected T.J. Leaf with the 18th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. Leaf attended college at UCLA.
The wait is finally over. With the 18th pick in the draft, the Indiana Pacers have selected T.J. Leaf out of UCLA.
It looked as if Indiana might make a trade before their pick came up, but ultimately talks with other teams failed before Kevin Pritchard made his pick.
Leaf will likely not receive his fair share of hype for a little while yet, thanks to the rumors that continue to surround Paul George.
More from 8 Points, 9 Seconds
- 2 Studs, 1 dud from gut-wrenching Indiana Pacers loss to Charlotte Hornets
- Handing out early-season grades for Pacers’ Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin
- 3 positives, 2 negatives in Pacers In-Season Tournament win vs. Cavaliers
- 2 positives, 3 negatives from first week of Indiana Pacers basketball
- Should Isaiah Jackson’s days with Indiana Pacers be numbered?
The UCLA big man averaged 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds a game in his lone college season and had the highest field goal percentage in the PAC 12 at 61.7%. He was also the conference’s 5th best rounder. Shooting is one of Leaf’s best skills, if that wasn’t apparent.
Our own Tony East wrote this about Leaf but wasn’t entirely sold on him as a prospect, but had this to say about his strengths.
"Leaf does a lot of things well, and many of his skills would be useful for the Pacers. He has a skill set that fits both the modern NBA as well as fills some holes for the team. When Myles Turner and Thaddeus Young are out of the game, the Pacers have no big men who can stretch the floor or dive to the basket. Leaf is good at both of those things, as well as a variety of other skills that could be beneficial to the team."
East also wasn’t a fan of his passing or defense and wasn’t sure if Leaf was the right guy for the Pacers. Time will tell if Leaf can overcome those weaknesses that have held him back in the past.
Next: Spurs, Wolves, and Blazers join in Paul George talks
Indiana fans were hoping for a blockbuster trade with Paul George, so it is no surprise that the reaction on Twitter so far has been lukewarm for the Pacers first round draft pick.