8 points, 9 seconds
Fansided

We found love in a hopeless place: The Indiana Pacers rebuilding season

By Ben Gibson

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 10: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the preseason game against the Maccabi Haifa on October 10, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - OCTOBER 10: Domantas Sabonis #11 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the preseason game against the Maccabi Haifa on October 10, 2017 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Ron Hoskins/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu of the Indiana Pacers.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JULY 28: TJ Leaf #22, Lance Stephenson #1 and Ike Anigbogu #15 of the Indiana Pacers participate in an outdoor fanfest on July 28, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. /

Let the rookies win (or lose)

We saw just enough in the preseason from T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu to be intrigued by that they’ll bring to the team.

Leaf’s 18 points in the fourth quarter against the Cleveland Cavaliers served as a reminder of why he was drafted. If he has a handful of games where he unleashes a fury of points then he is worth the draft pick for the entertainment value alone. He showed against the Nets that it wasn’t just a preseason thing, either.

There will certainly be ups and downs in his game as he will be exposed defensively, but we might get to see him grow as a player as he learns from his mistakes. We saw that happen with Myles Turner when he had one of the best moments of his rookie season (blocking LeBron James) and his worst (a mental-lapse in crunch time) in the same game. The frustration of mistakes fades into memory once we see a rookie learn and adapt. Leaf may never be a great defender in the NBA, but one hopes he can get closer to average.

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The flip-side of the offensive-minded Leaf is his former UCLA and now Pacers teammate, Ike Anigbogu. The former Bruin only played significant minutes in one preseason game, but 8 points on 3 of 3 shooting (and a pair of free throw) made me feel a little better about his chances in the NBA. Unlike Leaf, he won’t need to blow up every so often to bring the team value. A mere 26 minutes of preseason basketball isn’t enough to make a judgment on him, but he looked competent on both ends of the floor.

Watch the duo develop into —hopefully — two cornerstones of the Pacers’ future makes the slog of losing close games much more bearable.

Edmond Sumner is the other rookie the Pacers selected but his injury status leaves us wondering if we’ll see him at all this season. We may have to wait until next season before we have any idea what he can bring to Indiana.

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