With Victor Oladipo out for several more months, someone else will have to lead the Indiana Pacers’ offense. Could newcomer Jeremy Lamb be that guy?
As we approach the 2019-2020 season, the Indiana Pacers still have some questions to sort out. One of the biggest things on many of our minds is simple: Who leads this offense in the absence of Victor Oladipo? The starting five for the Pacers is projected to be Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb, T.J. Warren, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner until we see Vic’s return to action. So, who steps up?
There’s a clear argument for Brogdon becoming “the guy” till #4 slots back into the starting unit. Likewise, Sabonis is already a proven force with the ball in his hands, Warren had some great stats on a horrific Phoenix Suns team, and Turner could turn into one of the best stretch-5s in the NBA.
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However, people could be totally sleeping on the 27 year old out of the University of Connecticut, Jeremy Lamb. A perennial 2nd (or 3rd or 4th) fiddle, Lamb has largely flown under the radar of many throughout the NBA. As he begins his stint with the Pacers, this could be a major benefit.
It would make sense for opposing defenses to sort of key-in on guys like Brogdon, Sabonis, and Warren. These three are more of the known scorers in Indy’s starting rotation, so they’ll more than likely draw the brunt of the defensive attention.
In theory, this could allow Lamb to thrive off the ball and get himself into positions to punish sleeping defenses. Sure, he’s a career 34% shooter from range (respectable, but not intimidating), but Lamb has the ability to get his own shot from anywhere inside the 3 point line as well. Lose track of him for too long, and he’ll find a way to create an opportunity for himself.
We’ve seen Lamb’s scoring on an upwards trajectory in recent years, culminating with his expanded role in the Charlotte Hornets’ rotation the last couple of years. He’s been a double digit scorer each of the last two seasons, peaking with a great 15.3 points per game in 2018-2019.
In Charlotte, Lamb has shared the court with Kemba Walker all 4 seasons. Kemba has remained extremely healthy in each of these four seasons and has averaged 20+ points per game each of these years he’s played with Lamb. For Lamb to still score as much as he did while sharing the floor with a high usage guard like Kemba is a testament to Lamb’s ability to make the most of his opportunities.
All of this could really set Jeremy Lamb up for a ton of success with the Indiana Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon has less of a killer instinct than Kemba Walker, which realistically should lead to more touches for Lamb if he’s getting similar minutes. The above average screening abilities of both Sabonis and Turner should also help Lamb get some separation from his defenders, which will all hopefully factor into Lamb enjoying his best offensive season to date with Indiana, a team that could really use a guy that can shoulder the scoring load as the season begins.
We’ll continue our look into which player could become the go-to guy for the Indiana Pacers on offense as the week unfolds. But rest assured, Jeremy Lamb has the potential to surprise everyone in the 2019-2020 season.