No, he's not Tyrese Haliburton. No, he's not Andrew Nembhard. And no, he's not TJ McConnell. But Quenton Jackson has long been a good basketball player for the Indiana Pacers, and fans shouldn't be surprised by how well he has played this season, especially recently.
Jackson has taken on a bigger role for the Pacers in the midst of their backcourt injuries (Haliburton has missed four games and remains on the shelf due to a hamstring injury, McConnell has yet to play this season, also due to a hamstring injury, and Nembhard just missed a game for injury management), and he had his first start of the season against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.
The Texas A&M alum has risen to the occasion, and fans should be thrilled with what they are seeing out of him.
Quenton Jackson has improved up greatly for the Pacers this season
Jackson has been solid all season, but he has turned it up another level recently. In his last three games, he has averaged 18.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals (and 2 turnovers) on 54.1/40/90.9% shooting splits. He continues to be a beast in transition and an active pest on defense. That's not a surprise. But he has shown flashes as a playmaker, which is a welcome sight.
The Los Angeles native isn't a floor general, but he is an incredibly underrated playmaker and is continuing to improve. He has great court vision and is mostly efficient. Against the Philadelphia 76ers on Oct. 28, Jackson dished out six assists and just one turnover as the Pacers' primary backup point guard.
Jackson isn't necessarily a pass-first type of player (with his athleticism, energy, and motor, there's a reason he is utilized more often as a downhill threat), but he is someone the Pacers can trust to make quick and good decisions and move the ball around.
There's a reason fans have clamored for him to have an increased role and be on a standard contract for most of his career in Indiana. He's probably never going to be an All-Star, but he is an incredible player who provides a ton of value with the Pacers, and we're seeing that firsthand this season.
Quenton Jackson's surge shouldn't surprise Pacers fans
It is fair to say that Jackson is mostly just putting up empty stats (Indiana is 2-5 this season and lost all three of the games he scored double digits in), but that doesn't change the value he brings to the Pacers.
Jackson had a career year last season (9.1 points, 2.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 47/35.6/82.4% shooting splits in 18.3 minutes across 49 games), and that was with the team being without Haliburton for the entire season, and McConnell and Nembhard missing a ton of games throughout the campaign. He has stepped up in their place before and has shown flashes (see: his 25-point, 10-assist double-double against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 1, which secured Indiana's first win of the regular season... and last one in 2025).
He was finally able to move away from "two-way contract" status. Fans had been saying he was one of the best players on a two-way contract for a while, and it was because he was too talented and athletic to play in the G League.
Jackson is playing lights-out right now, but he's done it before. This isn't new. He is a fantastic player whom the Pacers should be happy to have on the team, and assuming they can get back to their winning ways sooner rather than later, he is going to continue being a big part of their plans.
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