6 overly confident predictions for the upcoming Pacers season
3. Ike Anigbogu will have a better rookie season than T.J. Leaf
Injury concerns make force me to walk this one back after the season, but Lance Stephenson needs a pick-and-roll partner in the absence of Né Prêt (bon soir, sweet prince), and Anigbogu is a picture perfect template to fill in.
A lot of draftniks were giving Anigbogu some first round buzz back in June, but nagging knee issues helped Kevin Pritchard swoop in and steal him with the 46th overall pick. He’s got the chance to be an absolute monster if things click. I’m talking putback dunks, lob dunks, dunks in a box, dunks with a fox, you get the idea.
The reason I’m more bullish on Anigbogu’s odds to impress this season than Leaf’s have more to do with the rest of the roster than with the two rookies. There just isn’t much need for what Leaf can do well, and nobody but Myles Turner even remotely matches Anigbogu’s role.
4. One of Darren Collison or Bojan Bogdanovich won’t end the season in Indiana
If Pritchard and the gang are really trying to grind out every win, then this gets less likely. That said, there’s a good chance both of these guys have a market in February, and the Pacers should really listen if that’s the case, especially if draft picks are involved.
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The Cavaliers could be in desperate need of a point guard if Isaiah Thomas struggles with his hip and Derrick Rose opens his mouth between now and 2018, and you can’t spell “stopgap” without Darren Collison.
Bojan Bogdanovic has already been part of one deadline deal, and his skillset is the same as it was when the Wizards traded for him. All it takes is one contender whose bench needs some buckets in the worst way, and Bogdanovic could be on his fourth team in two seasons.