Indiana Pacers: Isaiah Jackson could be the big man of the future

The Indiana Pacers have not had a lot of bright spots this season, as their putrid record indicates, but the same cannot be said for their rookies, who have shown flashes of potential to be legitimate franchise cornerstones in the years to come.

While Chris Duarte has gotten more burn—and in turn, more ovations for all the right reasons—the Pacers’ other first-round selection in the 2021 NBA Draft has not disappointed in his sprinkled minutes so far. Isaiah Jackson, who entered the campaign beneath the frontcourt pecking order, has shown glimpses of why he could very well be the big man of the future in the Circle City.

With his court time wavering so much due to injuries being the sole avenue for him to log significant minutes, a look into the numbers makes the praise overblown. Still, just from the eye test, you could see why so many fans are high on the 20-year-old and his tremendous upside.

Isaiah Jackson has given the Indiana Pacers a fresh element on both ends of the court

In the Indiana Pacers’ latest win over the LA Clippers, Isaiah Jackson was thrust into the starting lineup following the absence of Domantas Sabonis due to health and safety protocols—and the rookie certainly did not disappoint, leading the Blue and Gold in scoring and rebounding with 26 points and 10 rebounds, both career-best marks in his young career.

Jackson, in only a tad below 30 minutes on the court, did not stop trying to attack the Clippers’ dearth of big men outside of Serge Ibaka, finishing the night with four total dunks off alley-oops and rim runs. He had plenty of success inside, using his athleticism to easily convert on drop-off passes while giving the Pacers a presence in the offensive boards.

His athleticism and vertical spacing have effectively plugged a new dimension to Indiana’s scoring profile, the likes of which they have not had since, well, Paul George. I mean, just look at this play:

No disrespect to Sabonis and Myles Turner, who have wildly different skillsets next to the young big man, but Jackson’s ability to run in the open floor makes for a more dynamic and unpredictable attack. Alas, his springiness gives the team a lot more leeway to crash the offensive boards and clean up possessions.

Hopefully, even with a healthy roster, the coaching staff could find a way to incorporate him in the rotation, as he simply possesses to much potential to waste sitting on the bench, especially with the team unlikely to claw their way back into the postseason talk this season.

This campaign has been pretty ugly so far, but like Duarte, Isaiah Jackson has breathed some life into an Indiana Pacers franchise in flux, giving them a lot more cushion to eventually accept that the way forward is to let go of what has not been working in the present.