The Indiana Pacers have turned a new Leaf due to injury

After being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Indiana Pacers, many believe that TJ Leaf has yet to meet expectations. However, an impressive performance against the Chicago Bulls displayed promise in his game and future.

Everyone seems to be throwing a lot of hate and slander towards TJ Leaf, but contrary to popular belief, Leaf can and will be a great rotation player, now and in the future for the Indiana Pacers.

Leaf received plenty of praise from his teammates this summer regarding his improvement since coming into the league. However, this season Leaf got off to a slow, unimpressive start.

Leaf struggled to find his shot. The power forward’s frustration was evident. At times, it seemed like he didn’t even want to be on the floor.

His lack of confidence trickled down to how fans perceived him:

The lack of confidence in Leaf continued to grow. However, several injuries to the Pacers’ starting lineup forced Leaf to become an integral part of the rotation.

After Myles Turner injured his ankle against the Brooklyn Nets, many Pacer fans were hoping rookie Goga Bitadze would start the following game. But Coach McMillan and his staff placed Leaf in the starting lineup instead.

When we all heard that it was Leaf getting the nod, let’s just say the Pacer community was not pleased:

The Pacers would take on the Cleveland Cavaliers the next game with Leaf earning his second career start due to the absence of Turner.

Let’s just say Leaf met fan’s expectations with a disappointing performance.

Leaf played eight minutes going 0-4 on from the field. Leaf would also go 0-2 on three-point attempts and only pulled down three rebounds with his 6-10 frame.  Leaf also had one steal but finished the contest with a +/- rating of -5.

That brings us to this past Sunday’s contest against a divisional rival, the Chicago Bulls.

Prior to the game, the Pacers broke the news that Domantas Sabonis would miss the contest due to a calf contusion. As a result, Goga Bitadze, and JaKarr Sampson would get the start.

Fans were obviously happy that Leaf had lost his starting role.

However, Leaf seemed to recognize the sense of urgency.

He was the first Pacer off the bench due to foul trouble by Bitadze. This was the first instance all season of Leaf starting to play with confidence and just letting his game do the talking.

Leaf matched a career-best in rebounds with 15, six of those boards were on offense. He also threw in 13 points, one block, and a steal.

Leaf had a great performance when his team needed him to step up and exceeded all expectations.

Leaf showcased why his teammates have put so much confidence in him.

If this is the TJ that continues to show up I think some fans may start to eat their words. However, that’s up to Leaf and his consistency.

Due to the severity of Turner’s injury, Leaf will continue to get more opportunities in the coming weeks.

Leaf needs to continue to play with confidence and sustain the mentality that he can run with the big dogs. It’s too early in the season to bring the sheep to the slaughter.

Pacers fans have seen in the past that if Leaf logs extended minutes in the rotation he tends to contribute well. That trend should continue.

Don’t give up on Leaf just yet. He can be a great asset on this Pacers bench once he finds his shooting stroke and confidence.