Indiana Pacers: Is it Time to Move on from T.J. Leaf?

The Indiana Pacers may have some moves to make before the season is over and they need to not be afraid to move on from recent draftee T.J. Leaf if need be.

The Indiana Pacers are not a great drafting team. The last decade is littered with draft night blunders. From trading Kawhi Leonard to the San Antonio Spurs in 2011 to drafting Miles Plumlee over Draymond Green the very next year, the Pacers have had a hard time hitting on their first round selections.

Myles Turner is the only first round pick the Pacers have extended past their rookie deal since the 2011 draft. For a small market team that needs to be able to build through the draft, it is amazing Indiana has been as consistent as they have.

The most recent selection blunder came in 2017 when the franchise selected T.J. Leaf out of UCLA. Leaf was known for his shot making-making ability in college, but even at the time of the draft, his defense was seen as a major liability. To this point, it still has been.

In his two-plus seasons since, Leaf has been a non-factor, having yet to average even 10 minutes per game over a season. The only time he has eclipsed 25 minutes in his career was last year’s season finally when most of the starters were rested. The Pacers should be reaching the point where they need to decide whether he is actually part of the future.

Year three is supposed to be when players make the leap. In the East alone, Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo are vying for their first All-Star selections, OG Anunoby has become a strong starter in Toronto following Leonard’s exit last summer, and Luke Kennard is one of the few bright spots in Detroit.

This is comes without mentioning the player that should be connected to Leaf for Pacers’ fans: John Collins. Collins plays the same position, but was taken two picks later in 2017 by the Atlanta Hawks. Collins has been everything Leaf has not: a starter, a scorer, and a rebounder while even developing a reliable 3-point shot.

Leaf’s limited playing time has come even as injuries have threatened to derail the Pacers’ season. Nearly every rotation big besides Domantas Sabonis have missed stretches already. As the benches cleared during the Pacers two most recent games against the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls, Leaf remained glued to his seat.

If Indiana does decide to look into the buy-out market, Leaf should be the first casualty to make room on the roster. JaKArr Sampson is the other player toward the end of the bench that could get the ax, but he has shown during his stints on the floor that he is a capable and willing defender. That alone should keep his place on the roster over Leaf.

Indiana has shown in the past that they are willing to cut ties with draft selections that failed to pan out. With this current roster poised for a second half break-out, they shouldn’t switch that philosophy up now. If there is a move to be made, Indiana needs to make it. Sometimes you need to see the forest for the trees.