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2017-18 Pacers Player Reviews: Al Jefferson

By Tony East

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: Al Jefferson #25 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 17, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 17: Al Jefferson #25 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball during the game against the Washington Wizards on March 17, 2018 at Capital One Arena in Washington, DC. 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 2018 NBAE (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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Al Jefferson Indiana Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – JANUARY 27: Al Jefferson #25 of the Indiana Pacers defends against Khem Birch #24 of the Orlando Magic during a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on January 27, 2018, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers won 114-112. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The Bad

Defense, defense, defense.

Let’s face it, Al stinks on defense. His 107.9 defensive rating was the 12th best on the team. His fouls per 36 minutes were up to their highest point since he was 21 years old. He just can’t move quick enough to be effective anymore.

As soon as he checks into the game, the other team just runs pick and rolls right at Jefferson until McMillan subs him out of the game. It’s challenging for the Pacers to work around. He can’t slide his feet fast enough to move side-to-side, and he isn’t fast enough to hedge and chase a guard downhill. It is a rough combo.

It is also why he fouls so much. He has to. He gets beat on a play and he doesn’t have any chance of stopping it besides hacking the opponent. To his credit, it is the best thing he could do once he is beaten. But he get’s cooked so often that it is a problem.

The other bad part of Jefferson’s game is related to the first one, his conditioning is poor. You can see it in his speed. He only could play 13.4 minutes per game (a career low) because he is old and out of shape. It is challenging to play him for extended periods of time because his effectiveness drops off sustainably after about 15 minutes of playing time, which can make him a hard depth piece to put others players around.

He is almost potent enough on offense to make up for his defensive shortcomings. Almost. But not quite, and that makes Al a slight negative in the aggregate. Combine that with his poor conditioning, and it is obvious why he finished the season with a career low in minutes.

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