This ain’t your grandma’s Kyle O’Quinn

It happens in short, abrupt moments of time. But when Kyle O’Quinn touches the floor, the Indiana Pacers have a clear commander-in-chief.

If Kyle O’Quinn were to hand you his business card, you’d probably be pretty confused. Why is the third-string center for the Indiana Pacers handing out business cards? Then you look down, and all the card says is “Kyle O’Quinn – CIC”. Perplexed, you may ask him A) why he has business cards at all and B) what on Oladipo’s green earth does CIC stand for?

CIC, in this instance, means commander in chief. And this is all a fictional exercise – because I am incredibly skeptical that KOQ has business cards and I am certain they don’t say anything to that effect. But if he did have the basketball equivalent of business cards, they should say commander-in-chief on them. I don’t make the rules I just explain them.

When Kyle O’Quinn checks into the game, everything runs through him, and for good reason:

He can make passes like that, while also making buckets like this:

Kyle O’Quinn has proven that he can be one of the most impactful players on the team. When he has the ball in his hands, he can do anything. The Pacers have figured this out very quickly, and they move the ball through him when he is in the game. O’Quinn has the third highest usage rate on the team, behind lead ball handlers Victor Oladipo and Tyreke Evans. The Pacers feed the beast.

It’s rare that a center can be ball dominant and impactful in the modern NBA without a viable three-point shot, but O’Quinn has figured out how to do it in his limited minutes. On offense, he is a masterful passer. His 28.5 assist percentage leads the team, and his assists are of the best variety. Every single one of them has led to a shot at the rim or a three-pointer, statistically the best shots in basketball:

O’Quinn has the 5th highest assist percentage of any player 6’9″ or taller in the entire NBA. Ben Simmons, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic are also in the top 5. That’s some elite company to be a part of, and that’s why he’s the commander.

But passing isn’t the only thing O’Quinn does really well. His rebound rate is over 20 percent for the first time of his career at 21.1 percent, good for second on the Pacers. When you need the ball in your hands to be effective, going up and getting it is a great way to make sure that happens:

Oh hey, a dunk! Speaking of dunks (sorta), O’Quinn is putting in an efficient 60 percent of his looks around the basket. And speaking of efficiency, O’Quinn has been businesslike this season. His true shooting percentage is hovering around 57 percent, good for the second best figure of his career.

He’s launching threes, which seems like an overstatement but it isn’t. He’s only taken two on the season, but his three-point attempt rate is still the second-highest it has ever been. He is constantly working on his corner three in practice, and for his career, he has been a 37.5 percent shooter from the corners. You can live with this shot, even if it doesn’t go in:

In a league where outside shooting bigs are becoming the new norm, O’Quinn isn’t shying away from adapting. But credit the CIC for knowing his strengths and limiting himself to looks from the corners and not above-the-break threes he is uncomfortable taking. Focusing on his strengths is what has made KOQ great in his limited minutes for his whole career.

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Oh, hey, defense exists too, and Kyle O’Quinn is having a career year on the less glamorous end of the floor as well. His 4.6 Defensive Box Plus-Minus is a career-best for the commander in chief, and he is being impactful be deterring shots at the basket.

And he’s not deterring shots only by making guys miss. He’s also just preventing guys from shooting altogether. When KOQ is on the floor, 27.91 percent of opponents shots come at the rim, and only 58.33 percent of those looks go in; both tidy figures. When O’Quinn isn’t in the game, 30.49 percent of opponents shots come at the rim, and 64.13 percent net two points for the other team. O’Quinn isn’t great at defending in space, but when you force the opponent to take worse shots by being first-rate protecting the rim, then you can still be a dominant defender. And Kyle O’Quinn is doing just that.

A healthy combo of great defense and smart offense has O’Quinn having his most impactful season yet. His 7.2 BPM is a career-high (by a lot), and only nine guys with as many minutes as O’Quinn have a better BPM. Their names? Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Montrezl Harrell, Damian Lillard, James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nerlens Noel. That’s one hell of a group to be a part of.

It’s important to know that just because O’Quinn is impactful doesn’t mean he should play more minutes. KOQ is able to be impactful because he plays a low dose of minutes. But when he does touch the court, KOQ is extremely effective, both as a player, and like every good commander, also as a leader.