What should the Indiana Pacers do with their unrestricted free agents?

What will the Indiana Pacers do with their impending free agents?

The Indiana Pacers only have two unrestricted free agents this offseason in Justin Holiday and JaKarr Sampson. The two last-minute signings of the prior offseason actually turned out to be very impactful players this season.

JaKarr Sampson 

JaKarr Sampson came to the Pacers off of a season where he averaged 20 points – in four games. Even after that, though, he barely made a roster spot in the NBA. Sampson actually had already signed a contract to play in the Chinese Basketball Association before he inked a contract to play in Indy.

Sampson had been a career four-to-five points per game player throughout his career, so nobody had any expectations set for JaKarr coming to play for the Pacers. He had no expectations to live up to and he just came in and became a fan favorite throughout his lone season here with his great effort and flashy dunks that earned him the name “JaKarr Slamson” from the fans.

His 2019-2020 season averages of 4.6 points, 0.6 assists, and 2.6 rebounds won’t jump off the stat sheet to anyone, but his impact mostly comes beyond the stat sheet like most good role players. He is a gritty player with ferocious dunks that can energize teammates and switch the momentum of a game.

When JaKarr was signed, nobody including probably JaKarr himself would have guessed the role he would have on the team with so many injuries throughout the season, with Sampson even starting in 12 games. If JaKarr wants to come back on a minimum deal I don’t see why Indiana wouldn’t want him back after all he showed last season.