Just days after losing Myles Turner to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies to address their center needs. While he is not the flashiest name, he brings a lot of value to Indiana on both sides of the ball, and he should be in for a breakout season next year.
Huff is exactly the type of guy the Pacers are looking for. He can stretch the floor and play well in drop coverage. The offseason is still young, and it is safe to assume the Pacers are not done yet. However, as it stands, Huff is their best center on the roster. Whether that's a good thing or not remains to be seen, but there are reasons to believe in the North Carolina native as the Pacers aim to navigate through the post-Turner era.
Jay Huff is an incredible addition to the Pacers
It was never a secret that Indiana was going to have a hard time replacing Turner if he left in free agency. He was the perfect fit for the team's offensive system due to his ability to stretch the floor. By no means have they replaced their long-time big man already, but Huff is a pretty solid second option.
The 26-year-old shot 40.5% from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts last year. Additionally, he is 7'1" and provides some defensive value. He will likely never turn into Turner or be able to make the same impact he did. Nonetheless, acquiring Huff is an incredibly low-risk, high-reward move for the Pacers, especially since he should be in line for the biggest opportunity of his career so far.
Huff also still has three years remaining on his four-year, $10 million contract that includes a $3 million team option for the 2027-28 season. If he can carve out a role in Indiana, the team will be able to keep him around for the long haul on a very friendly deal. Given that the Pacers are seemingly looking to remain under the luxury tax, this is a good spot for them to be in financially.
What will be worth following the rest of the way for the Pacers is what else they do at center. Huff is solid, but he has started just two of his 95 career games up to this point. However, if they are essentially looking to slot in a Turner-lite at center, then Huff may be their guy. At this point, it is safe to assume the Pacers will take a center-by-committee approach and essentially wait to see who sticks out the most. It is going to take a lot to replace Turner in their lineup, and it may not take one player to do it.
Adding Huff alone will not move the needle for the Pacers, but it is a start. As they approach what is likely going to be a gap year, they need to be prepared to take fliers on certain players to see who sticks once they return to title contention. Whether Huff will be one of those players remains to be seen, but no matter what, this was a smart move for the Pacers that could pay dividends for the long haul.