TJ Leaf talks about his time in Indiana and playing with Lance Stephenson

TJ Leaf had been to Indiana before he was drafted by the Pacers, but 50 games into his NBA career, he is learning how to play basketball here.

Mark Montieth connected the Leaf family to the state of Indiana soon after TJ was drafted. TJ Leaf’s father played high school basketball in Indiana and his mother is from the city of Evansville. When his dad played professional basketball in Israel, the whole family would visit the Circle City during vacations. Indiana was nothing new to Leaf when he was drafted.

Now, halfway through the first season of his professional career, he is more than acclimated to his new home. Well, almost.

“I definitely like [Indiana]. It has been an easy adjustment to get out here, besides the weather,” Leaf said. “That has been an adjustment, but I’m basically already used to it.” Of course, growing up in San Diego and playing in college at UCLA, Indiana is significantly colder than California.

On the court, there hasn’t been much adjustment needed for Leaf offensively. Based on 47% 3-point shooting and 68% free throw shooting at UCLA, Leaf was expected to be an excellent shooter in the pros. 41 games in, he has been exactly that. He’s knocking down 47.2% of his three’s so far, third in the league amongst players with 10 or more attempts.

The shot has been there. That isn’t surprising. The versatility of his offensive game has been. 6.2 rebounds per 36 minutes. 60 percent shooting at the rim. Only nine total turnovers! He’s getting it done in more facets than anyone thought, and he is fitting right in on this Pacers team built on a myriad of chemistry.

That chemistry has on display Monday night against Charlotte. I saw it. You saw it. We all saw it. But it’s too fun not to watch again:

The Lance Stephenson experience. Lance described passes like that at practice Tuesday. “If you’re on the floor, I might see you.” He said. He saw TJ, and while Lance made the highlight play, there’s no highlight if the rookie misses the shot.

Leaf seems to agree with Lance’s thoughts on passing. “If you just run the floor and are open he’s going to find you so that’s what I try and do, just try and be in the right spot. He has a knack for finding people.”

He sure does. TJ Leaf has made 54 shots as a pro so far. Lance has assisted 15 of them. The duo has developed quite a substantial amount of chemistry in a short amount of time.

That chemistry grows from the lighthearted pleasure of playing alongside a guy like Stephenson. When another player will get you the ball if you’re open, it makes getting open more amicable. Leaf knows that. Just get free and the ball will come to you. Somehow, some way. “You never know if the ball is coming or how fast or when,” Leaf said. “It’s definitely something where you have to keep your head on a swivel but, I mean, he’s fun to play with.”

When everything is harmonious, playing is fun, and it makes it facile to give the extra effort and play well. Leaf is certainly doing that on the offensive end. The defensive end has been a bigger challenge for the rookie, but it’s coming.

The Hornets game Monday was one of Leaf’s best defensive games. His 3 defensive rebounds were the second-best figure of his career, and he did it in only 11:56 of playing time. That led to him being a +1 in those 12 minutes, showing how impactful his defense was. You can see him improving and being in the right position more frequently each and every game.

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It’s easy to improve when you’re a cerebral player like Leaf is. Al Jefferson had high praise for Leaf and thought his defensive improvements were soon on the horizon. “[TJ Leaf] is a very smart player for a rookie” Al told me. “He’s gotta learn how to play defense, which we all had to, some guys been in the league as long as I have and still don’t know how to,” He joked. “But that’ll come with it, and once he gets everything together, he’s going to be good.”

Leaf knows he needs to learn more about playing on the less glamorous end of the floor. “It’s definitely something I knew I needed to work on coming in,” he said. “I definitely think I’ve gotten strides better as the season has gone on. And I will continue to do so as the season progresses.”

You can already see that improvement coming. There’s more to it than simply just keeping up with the game – there’s a huge learning curve on that end of the floor from college to the pros.

“The speed and physicality are a lot tougher. And then you have different rules, like defensive 3 seconds and whatnot. You have a lot of things you have to put into perspective.”

That’s a challenge for every player, not just Leaf. But he’s already overcome tougher challenges, like acclimating to the midwestern cold from the LA warmth.

“Hey, now Blake Griffin has to do that too,” I told him.

“Yeah, that’s going to be interesting!” Leaf exclaimed. I asked about playing against a talented player like Griffin in your division.

“We don’t play them again this year unless we match up with them in the playoffs,” he said, confidently. The playoffs are in his, and this Pacers teams, sights. And Leaf oozes confidence, both for himself and the whole group.

Next: Rasual Butler left an impact on the Pacers and the NBA

The conviction he has manifests itself on the court. Just watch him, you can see it in his scorching hot three-point shooting and his uninterrupted improvements on the defensive end. From traveling to the state of Indiana as a kid to playing for the Pacers now, TJ Leaf’s journey has been a fascinating one of fate. That journey is just beginning.

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