Just how valuable was Oshae Brissett to the Indiana Pacers?
Season reviews can get tricky for the Indiana Pacers after such a disappointing season. Nobody was deserving of a perfect grade because the team just did not reach expectations. However, the case of Oshae Brissett brings quite a bit of a twist.
He was signed near the end of the season but was one of the biggest storylines for this unit all season. Brissett filled a massive need and was an absolute gem once he got on the floor. While his lack of experience this season should probably keep him from earning too high of a grade, his impact was far greater than anyone could have imagined.
Oshae made 16 consecutive starts to finish the season. In those 16 games, Brissett averaged 13.3 points and 7.1 rebounds while being an incredible addition to the defensive end of the floor. He shot the ball with confidence on his way to knocking down 42.1 percent of his threes.
In the final game of the season, Brissett carried the Pacers into a home-court advantage for the Play-in Tournament by dropping 31 points and 10 rebounds.
The expectations for Brissett were simply to give the frontcourt some depth with injuries striking throughout the season. He took hold of his opportunity and never looked back, making for an interesting offseason if the Pacers view him as a starting-caliber player on the wing or at the four.
How can we accurately assess his final grade from the 2020-21 NBA season?