Indiana Pacers: 3 players most unlikely to return next season

Player most unlikely to return to the Indiana Pacers: JaKarr Sampson

To be fair to JaKarr Sampson, evaluating him should be done with context as the elephant in the room because he is a situational player. All in all, since arriving in 2019, JaKarr’s been a true professional who’s always ready to bring out the guns when his number is called, even though he’s by no means perfect at his role.

However, no one’s banking on Sampson to be perfect at what he does given his limitations. He’s a physical defender despite being undersized at 6’7, fierce on the offensive boards and has a knack for cutting in the lane, but his lack of shooting, or any semblance of offense outside the paint, makes him more of a useful additive than a necessity in the roster.

Old-school bangers still have a place in the NBA, but to carve out a roster spot and a consistent role to justify it, today’s NBA requires that they should be more than bruisers. And the demands are lofty: either you can swish the trey like a lot of stretch bigs or pass the ball like a wizard. Unfortunately, JaKarr doesn’t have those in his game, and it might be the nail in the coffin on his short tenure with the Indiana Pacers.