Injuries ruined the Ike Anigbogu experiment

Ike Anigbogu was never more than an experiment for the Indiana Pacers. But injuries gave the trial no chance to succeed.

Pretty much every draft pick in the back of the second round is a crapshoot. The uncertainty surrounding those selections means that it is impossible to say what you are getting. Such was the case when the Indiana Pacers drafted Ike Anigbogu back in 2017.

I was actually pretty excited about the pick. At 47, Ike was a good value play. He had been projected to go pretty high in some mock drafts before he started in college, so getting him late seemed like a steal. The fact that an injury caused him to fall to the Pacers made him an ideal draft selection to me at that draft slot – low risk, high reward.

There was low risk because the opportunity cost was basically another project player (or cash). But there was a high reward. If Ike turned out to be the rim-running center who could protect the rim as some scouts envisioned, then that’s a win at a pick that late.

Anigbogu started out showing off some good stuff. He could get some blocks when called upon to actually play:

But that was the trouble. He could never actually play. In two NBA seasons, he only played 36 total minutes, fewer than Thaddeus Young played against the Bucks last Wednesday.

Some of this was lack of opportunity. Between Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, there were no minutes for a third center to get any meaningful development time. In the case of injuries to one of those two, the Indiana Pacers needed a player who could contribute (Al Jefferson or Kyle O’Quinn), so even when there was a need for a center Anigbogu couldn’t touch the floor.

At the same time, Anigbogu battled injuries on his own. He missed both summer leagues in his career due to injury. He battled knee pain all season this year – frequently when he was promoted to be with the Pacers, it was just to be treated for knee pain.

No opportunities to play, injuries, and some just decent G League stats (9.9 points, 8 rebounds, and .9 assists) made Anigbogu’s Pacers career halt. He was waived to make the trade the Pacers made at the trade deadline possible.

Unfortunately, Ike’s contract had more than $50k guaranteed, which means he can’t sign the Mad Ants this season. Anigbogu hasn’t signed anywhere yet, but his next stop will be outside the Pacers orgnaization (unless the transaction comes next year).

The Ike Anigbogu experiment was a good idea. It just didn’t work out. It’s hard to find playing time opportunities for first-round picks sometimes, nonetheless second round guys. Ike just couldn’t get minutes or stay healthy, and that made it untenable to keep him on the roster.

Ike Anigbogu is a reminder of the value of late second round picks. They aren’t valueless – because they can be high reward guys – but usually they are project players. The Indiana Pacers took a risk on Anigbogu and it didn’t work out. Without injuries, we could be reliving a different tale.