Jay Huff's start to his tenure with the Indiana Pacers has not been great.
In his first seven games with the Pacers, the North Carolina native averaged 3.6 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 34.6% from the field and 17.6% from deep. Additionally, initially seen as a potential starting center for Indiana, Huff continued to struggle while Isaiah Jackson began to pull away as the team's clear best option.
Jackson is likely still the guy in Indiana, given his familiarity with the system. However, Huff finally had a breakthrough performance with the Pacers, and it may be just what he needed to get things back on track.
In Wednesday's loss to the Brooklyn Nets, Huff scored 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting, including 4-for-9 from beyond the arc. Furthermore, he grabbed two boards and recorded two blocks in 18 minutes of play.
Huff was Indiana's leading bench scorer in the loss, but he made an impact on both sides of the ball and looked comfortable on the court. This is exactly what the Pacers acquired him to help replace Myles Turner in the offseason.
It's still too early to tell what type of impact the Virginia alum will make with the Pacers, but after a slow start to the season, this performance was what he, the team, and the fans desperately needed to see.
Jay Huff has potential to flourish in Indiana
The Pacers didn't trade for Huff for no reason. They liked his playstyle and felt like he could help fill the void that Turner left when he signed with the Milwaukee Bucks. And after his game against Brooklyn, he may have just proven them right.
Huff's biggest appeal in Indiana is that he is a stretch big who can also protect the rim. This is exactly why Turner was a key part of the Pacers' system for a decade. His strengths were the same as Huff's, only he could do them at a higher level and with more consistency. However, if Huff could even somewhat replicate Turner's value at a fraction of his cost, then this was going to work out beautifully for Indiana.
Plus, Huff already has some fans in the organization, such as teammate Obi Toppin, who spoke highly of him and his work ethic before the season.
"All the bigs that we have here are amazing bigs. ... And Jay Huff is really smart and really good at basketball. He comes in and does his work. He's going to pick up on everything really quickly. ... I can't wait for the season," Toppin said.
It's unlikely that Huff ever becomes the Pacers' full-time starting center if they want to compete for a championship again, but there's still a lot to like about him. He is 7-foot-1 and can run the length of the court, which is perfect in Indiana's system. Additionally, on top of being a valuable contributor on both sides of the ball, he also plays with great energy.
If there is one team that can get the most out of the 28-year-old, it's the Pacers. Only time will tell what his ceiling is with the team, but if Wednesday's game was any indication, he should have a bright future in Indiana.