Indiana Pacers: Jeremy Lamb has been the spark the Pacers have needed

The 2020-21 season has been one of ups and downs so far for the Indiana Pacers. The blue and gold got off to a 3-0 start that included a couple of strong performances and an impressive close win over the Celtics. Everything looked to be going right for first-year head coach Nate Bjorkgren and the Indiana Pacers through the first week of the season.

Then they were hit by something they are all too familiar with – the injury bug.

After the first of the year, it was reported that T.J. Warren was going to be having surgery on his foot to repair a small navicular stress fracture that he had been dealing with for some time, and would be out indefinitely.

Then, current DPOY front-runner (yeah that’s right, I said it) Myles Turner was forced to miss two games with a small fracture in his hand.

Newest Pacer, Caris LeVert is sidelined indefinitely as well after undergoing successful surgery to treat retinal cell carcinoma on his left kidney that was discovered during his physical on the way over from Brooklyn. That’s okay though, we’re just happy they caught it early and that he is expected to make a full recovery.

And now, Domantas Sabonis is dealing with a contusion on his left knee and is going to be day-to-day going forward.

The Indiana Pacers have been plagued by injuries in this young season but Jeremy Lamb’s return has been the story.

With all of the injuries piling up for key players for the Indiana Pacers this season, there was some cause for concern. There were already a few guys (Brogdon and Sabonis, in particular) who were playing big minutes. Could someone else step up and take some of the pressure off of the starters?

Since Jeremy Lamb‘s return a week ago, the answer to that question has been a resounding ‘yes’.

In his first four games back after missing nearly a calendar year because of his ACL injury, Lamb is coming off the bench and averaging 16.8 points, 0.8 assists, and 4.8 rebounds on tremendous .535/.412/.933 splits. He is playing 25 minutes a game and is posting a PER (Player Efficiency Rating) of 22.0, helping the injury-stricken Pacers to a 2-2 record since his return to action.

Obviously a very small sample size, but Lamb is averaging a career-high in points, FG%, 3PT%, and FT% right now. These numbers will more than likely regress to the mean somewhat, but it is a testament to Lamb’s skillset that he can come back from a serious injury and immediately contribute as effectively as he has.

One of the biggest contributing factors Lamb provides for Indiana is his ability to be a scorer. His first points back came off a dribble-drive to the rim which he was able to finish through contact. A good sight to see from someone who is returning from a major injury.

And he is getting to the rim early and often. 30 percent of his shots this season have come at the rim, which he is converting on nearly 70 percent of those attempts. His ability to create shots for himself has been huge for the Pacers, especially with the absence of Warren and LeVert, who are two of their other main sources for self-shot creation.

Not only that, he is drawing a lot of contact when he does this, getting to the line four times a game, also a career-high for him.

And while his self-shot creation has been monumental for the Pacers since his return, his ability to knock down catch-and-shoot three-pointers has been just as important. The only type of shot Lamb is taking more of than shots at the rim are three-pointers. 40 percent of Lamb’s shots have been three-pointers, and as mentioned earlier he is converting on 41% of them.

But perhaps a more important stat here is that every three Jeremy has made this season has been assisted. Meaning he is making life easy for his teammates.

Lamb has posted two 22-point, seven-rebound games since his return on the 20th. The Pacers won both of those games. Meaning of late, when Jeremy Lamb plays well the Pacers win. Again, this is a small sample size of games, but it is definitely encouraging to see from a guy who missed 322 days because of a major injury.

His ability to create and provide energy off the bench has been exactly what the Pacers needed with all the injuries they are dealing with currently. If Lamb can continue his current level of excellent play up until and even through when Warren, Sabonis, and LeVert are able to return, the Indiana Pacers are going to be a team that nobody around the league wants to see on any given night.