Who’s that new Uthoff guy?

In this series, 8p9s writer Tony East breaks down the contract situation of each Pacers player. In this edition, we’ll look at newly signed Jarrod Uthoff.

The Pacers finally completed their training camp roster last night when it was announced the team is singing stretch-four Jarrod Uthoff.

Uthoff is a second-year NBA player out of the University of Iowa. He signed two 10-day contracts with the Mavericks last season before being signed for the rest of the NBA season upon the conclusion of the second contract. In Dallas, he played in nine games, averaging 2.4 points and 4.4 rebounds.

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He has previous ties to Indiana. In January of this past season, he was traded to the Pacers G-league affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. With Fort Wayne, he averaged 17 points and 9 rebounds in just over 30 minutes a game. He shot 50 percent from 3-point range and 55 percent overall during his Mad Ants tenure.

His efficiency makes him potentially valuable. His incredible three-point percentage in Fort Wayne was coupled with a percentage over 90 from the charity stripe. Uthoff has a very pure stoke and could be a very effective shooter in the NBA.

In his time with Dallas, he shot 3-for-9 from deep and 5-for-7 from the line. Neither of these is a large enough sample to take anything from, but it is still worth nothing going forward.

His form is pretty, and the shot goes in. You can frequently find up spotting up, and that is where he is most dangerous:

Hopefully, that shot transfers to the pros.

2017-18 season

Uthoff, according to Michael Scotto, has a partial guarantee on his contract, but the amount is unknown. His contract is a minimum contract with a value of $1,312,611. He carries a cap hit of the same amount.

Because he is partially guaranteed, he could be an exhibit 10 player. That would mean his partial guaranteed is $50,000 or less. If that were the case, his contract could be converted to a two-way contract after training camp, but the Pacers would have to waive Alex Poythress or Edmond Sumner to open up a two-way slot.

2018 summer and beyond

Uthoff has a decent shot to make the roster this season, so projecting his next summer isn’t crazy. If he is impressive this season, the Pacers could offer him a $1,714,547 qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent. This would allow the front office to guarantee they keep him on the roster long term if they so choose.

He would have to impress this season for this to be the case, but it is certainly a possibility. If he does not impress this season, he will not be resigned next summer to any sort of contract.

Prediction time

Uthoff would make the team this year if it were up to me. He is young and efficient enough to have an edge over the two Joneses, and his ties to the Pacers give him an edge over Ben Moore and Damien Wilkins. The Pacers may see it differently, but the fact that they gave him a partial guarantee leads me to believe the Pacers are thinking the same way as me.

Next: 6 overly confident predictions for this season

From the Iowa cornrows to the Indiana Cornrows, Uthoff will feel right at home in Indiana.