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Indiana Pacers love and hate series: CJ Wilcox

By Tony East

LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: CJ Wilcox #23 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 9: CJ Wilcox #23 of the Indiana Pacers handles the ball against the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 9, 2018 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. 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 Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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CJ Wilcox Indiana Pacers
LAS VEGAS, NV – JULY 6: C.J. Wilcox #23 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Houston Rockets during the 2018 Las Vegas Summer League on July 6, 2018, at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Dow/NBAE via Getty Images) /

What we don’t love about CJ Wilcox

A lack of experience is the biggest thing hindering CJ Wilcox.

For a first round pick, it is alarming how little of a chance Wilcox has been given to prove himself. In two seasons with the Clippers and one with Orlando, he has played in a total of just 66 games, totaling 376 minutes.

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For reference, Wilcox was a first round pick in 2014 and yet he already has less total NBA playtime than TJ Leaf. Woof.

It could be that his incumbent team(s) gave up on him too early, but he has been with three organizations and not one felt it was necessary to attempt to develop him. That is telling, and potentially concerning.

On the court, I personally would say Wilcox biggest concern is his free throw rate. For his career, he gets to the line on just 11.9 percent of his shooting possessions, about the same rate as the aforementioned Leaf. Wilcox had made 13 of his 16 career free throws. He is solid from the charity stripe. He just needs to find a way to get there more.

Additionally, Wilcox has struggled from beyond the arc in the pros. He’s made exactly one-third of his attempts, which I guess is fine. But if you factor in that he can’t get to the line, like at all, he needs to be able to sink the deep ball to be efficient. And right now, he cannot. This limits his ceiling significantly.

Of note here is that Wilcox made 39 percent of his threes in college, a tidy figure. Combine that with his solid free throw shooting, and its possible he’s just had some bad bounces so far. Perhaps we could end up not hating this skill after all.

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