Indiana Pacers: Briefly grading each player’s season so far
By Josh Wilson
So far, this season has been fairly middle of the road for the Indiana Pacers. With the unexpected season hiatus, it gives us a moment to assess the performance of each individual player on the roster.
We will dive into more detailed and granular grades for each player as the weeks go on, but for today let’s take a high-level view of each player at this point in the season.
These Indiana Pacers could do better.
T.J. Leaf: C-
T.J. Leaf has played in just 193 minutes so far this season. Rarely impactful, his minutes have not been anything all that special on the floor. While his stats need to be taken with a grain of salt due to a small sample size, he has failed to initiate himself in garbage time opportunity, logging a 0.0 value over replacement player, meaning he is firmly average even in meaningless game situations.
Edmond Sumner: C
Edmond Sumner hasn’t seen many minutes, so this is another tough one to grade. Like Leaf, he’s failed to make the most of the minimal opportunity he’s been given but his positive defense (0.4 DBPM) helps him avoid a C-.
Draft blunders. Draft decisions we wish were April Fools' Day jokes. light
Goga Bitadze: C+
We’re grading on-court production only, but the development behind the scenes is the real measuring stick for Bitadze and the Pacers this year.
In the limited time Bitadze has gotten he’s shown the threat he poses as a legitimate offensive fulcrum and foundational defensive piece (1.5 DBPM).
JaKarr Sampson: C+
JaKarr Sampson, a journeyman, was brought in for his defensive force that can serve the Pacers in limited scenarios. He is a liability on offense, though, and it’s hard to justify the idea of working him into the playoff rotation. Sampson ranks 12th on the team in PER and BPM.