T.J. Leaf haters, don’t forget about the 1987 draft

In the 2017 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers selected T.J. Leaf of the UCLA Bruins in a move that was similar to one made by the organization in the 1987 draft.

Oftentimes, fans become enamored with draft prospects who have connections to the state of their professional basketball team. They put emotions at the forefront of their decision making and throw everything basketball related out the window.

Indiana Pacers fans have been known to do this is the past.

If you would have told Indiana Pacers fans that OG Anunoby, former Indiana Hoosier and fan favorite, was available with Indy’s 18th pick, they would have been elated and pleaded for new GM Kevin Pritchard to select Anunoby.

Well, the OG Anunoby scenario took place and the Indiana Pacers thought with their heads instead of their hearts. At least Pacers fans hope they did.

Goodbye OG and Hello T.J. Leaf

The Indiana Pacers opted to go with the 6’10’, 220 pound UCLA Bruin in T.J. Leaf. In his 2016-2017 campaign, Leaf averaged 16.3 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.1 blocks per game. Compare that to OG’s averages of 11.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.3 blocks per game.

Examining the stats, it seems the Pacers front office did not fall victim to the heart over head pitfall that the common fan does. While OG may be better on the defensive end, Leaf is no scrub. Furthermore, his offensive skills are superior to Anunoby’s. OG undoubtedly has a higher ceiling, but that designation often comes with a high risk especially considering his recent knee injury.

The Pacers chose to go with the sure thing in Leaf and you cannot argue with that.

Nonetheless, Leaf and OG both have a great deal to prove in the NBA, and the Pacers decision cannot be rendered the right or wrong one until these young players’ careers develop.

The 1987 Draft

When discussing all of the aspects of the T.J. Leaf selection, it becomes more and more similar to the Indiana Pacers 1987 NBA Draft. It was Reggie Miller or Steve Alford, and Indiana fans were infatuated with Alford and fantasized over his future donning of a Pacers jersey.

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Alford was a Hoosier through and through as he grew up in New Castle where he was the 1983 Mr. Basketball. He went on to Indiana University and led the Hoosiers in capturing the 1987 national championship and he graduated as IU’s all-time leading scorer with 2,438 points.  It was almost inevitable that Indiana would select him, until they didn’t.

The Pacers selected Reggie Miller from the University of California, Los Angeles with the 11th pick and Alford fell all the way to 26th with the Dallas Mavericks.

If you thought Pacers fans were distraught when Leaf was selected over OG, you’ve never heard the story of the drafting of Reggie Miller.

Alford’s face is symbolic of the faces of Indiana’s fan base, but those faces didn’t last long when Reggie Miller burst onto the scene.

Fast forward 18 years

It is clear that Donnie Walsh made the right decision in passing on Alford and relying on the head over the heart. A decision that Kevin Pritchard hopes he has made as well.

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Miller is undeniably the greatest Pacer of all time. Indiana has adopted him as their very own and might as well give him the keys to the city.

Miller is a Hall of Famer, the Pacers all-time leader in points, assists, steals, 2-point shots made, 3-point shots made, free throws made, win shares, minutes and games played. He also averaged 18.2 points per game on 40% shooting from behind the arc in his 18 years in the league (all in a Pacers jersey). Alford only lasted 4 years in the NBA and he averaged 4.4 points per game on 32% from 3-point range.

Choosing UCLA over Indiana appears to be a decision that worked out for the Indiana Pacers in 1987, so let’s try this thing again with Leaf.

Even Steve Alford, Leaf’s former coach, chose UCLA over IU. He was presented with the opportunity to be Tom Crean’s successor in Bloomington, but he elected to stay in Los Angeles.

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It’s apparent that UCLA and the state of Indiana created an undeniable relationship that continues to be proven beneficial for fans of basketball in Indiana. Hopefully, that remains true in the case of T.J. Leaf, and he becomes the next Reggie Miller as he steals the hearts of Pacers fans and makes OG Anunoby the present-day Steve Alford.