Jay Huff was acquired from the Memphis Grizzlies for a handful of second-round picks last year. He performed admirably enough, averaging a shade under 10 points per game. Perhaps most impressive was his ability to stay on the court in what was an injury-riddled season for Indiana. He played all 82 games.
With that in consideration, however, it's easy to wonder how his role is set to change with Ivica Zubac, the Pacers' big-name acquisition in their gap year, set to soak up many of the team's minutes at center.
While he is by no means a superstar, Huff is good enough that he still deserves consideration for the rotation as a mobile, shot-blocking five with some floor spacing abilities. The question becomes how much time does that deserve? Let's get straight into it.
Breaking down Jay Huff's previous role with the Pacers
Huff was initially brought in as a stopgap. He was a player in the exact same mould as now-Milwaukee Buck Myles Turner and was dirt cheap in a market that had dried up entirely for centers.
The Pacers knew that they would be taking a step back with the Achilles injury to Tyrese Haliburton – that much was clear – but they couldn't have possibly expected the disastrous implosion they would soon face.
In that way, Huff's role rapidly went from "play well on a good team that needs you to be okay" to "play big minutes for a bad team falling apart at the seams and flourish."
Huff was not able to pull that off.
Instead, he did what he had done in his previous stops as an energy big man. He rebounded, blocked shots, and dunked with that sneaky athleticism NFL fans are always saving for undersized slot receivers. But he failed to make a considerable difference.
Worst of all, he may no longer provide the flexibility the Pacers will demand next year.
Looking forward to 2026-27
There will be minutes available on the Pacers bench this year. While depth was never quite this team's strong suit, that issue has become more pronounced as Jarace Walker's development has languished and TJ McConnell grows ever older.
With the bench unit made up of just Obi Toppin and spare parts at this point, key signings like Kelly Oubre or summer league secrets like Rienk Mast could step up.
However, whereas those two can play multiple positions (for Oubre, both wing spots; for Mast, both the four and the five), Huff is a pure center. Considering the low 30 minutes Zubac accounts for, that leaves just about 15 minutes a game available to Huff.
It gets worse, though.
The Pacers thrived playing small with Siakam at the five during their Finals run. There's no way to abandon that part of their identity. That leaves just one solution:
For Jay Huff to be any more than a 10-minute-per-game option, he needs to find a way to play the four defensively.
With the season start on the horizon, that's the move Huff will need to make. He's spent the summer playing for the USA in FIBA, playing a ton of that role as a defender on the perimeter. Still, there's so much left to do to get to that point.
The player who steps up will find themselves with a massive opportunity. That's the good news. The bad news is the Pacers need that to happen as soon as possible.
Whether it's Huff or someone else, much of this season depends on an already depleted bench.
That's a scary place to be.
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