3 Top performers from Indiana Pacers’ blowout win over San Antonio Spurs

Isaiah Jackson

“Saving the best for last” may be an overused phrase, but I genuinely do believe that Isaiah Jackson was one of the most important players on the floor against San Antonio, even if his stats don’t exactly jump off the board.

With just seven points on 3/3 shooting and five fouls, you may question why Jackson is even on here. The answer is simple: He produced the biggest play of the night and put the Indiana Pacers on national media again briefly when he met the 7-foot-4 behemoth Victor Wembanyama at the rim and blocked his shot, sending the Pacers crowd into a frenzy and giving himself a little more recognition to the casual basketball fan.

Jackson’s defense was one of the reasons Wembanyama struggled so much against Indiana, and his block was certainly the most memorable part of a memorable night overall.

That’s not to say that was the only highlight Jackson had on the night, as he also converted on an alley-oop dunk off a pinpoint TJ McConnell lob pass in the fourth quarter, furthering the nail in the Spurs’ coffin on the night and putting a cherry on top of a dominant Pacers win.

Jackson’s performance tonight was great to see for multiple reasons. As of late, Jackson’s value to the Indiana Pacers has been in serious question, with multiple fans calling for him to be traded if he does not show serious improvement and some even calling for Daniel Theis to get his minutes instead, including tonight.

Those fans would quickly be silenced, however, as Jackson put up a great performance in the 15 minutes of action he got, limited, of course, due to his five fouls.

Recently, I wrote a piece on Jackson’s development in his NBA career so far and how this season is make-or-break for the 21-year-old due to the influx of talent Indiana has in their frontcourt and the relative lack of improvement, Jackson has shown throughout his three years in the NBA.

However, if he keeps playing this well and racking up highlights in productive performances, there is certainly a place for Jackson on this team. He clearly has the talent for it; he may just need some more opportunities to show it, and Indiana may have another keeper on their hands.