The Indiana Pacers signed Micah Potter the day after Christmas last year to provide depth, but he has turned into a lot more than that. And with the Pacers needing to make some roster and financial decisions this summer, it might be smart for them to pick up Potter's $2.8 million team option and end the Jay Huff Experiment after one season.
It doesn't make sense for the Pacers to keep them both around next season when they are a) most likely aiming to avoid paying the luxury tax once again, and b) don't need to keep Potter and Huff around when they're both just going to be backups behind Ivica Zubac and are each set to make more than $2 million next season.
Is Potter the next Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Obviously not, but he's turned into a real asset. And if Indiana is planning on just keeping one of its backup centers around, it should be Potter.
Micah Potter should be the Pacers' primary backup center
Let me just get all of these out of the way regarding Huff: 1) Yes, he provides more defensive value and is a significantly better rim protector than Potter, 2) I also think he had too much on his plate last season and would be way better as exclusively a backup and with Tyrese Haliburton back on the court, and 3) it can't be ignored that he played in all 82 games this past season (one of 18 players in the NBA to do so, and he was the only Pacer to do it) and also won the team's center battle to begin the season.
He's also incredibly inconsistent in every area of the game, is too slow to really be a good fit in Indiana's system, shot 31.9% from deep this season as a "stretch big," isn't much of a rebounder, and isn't a good screen-setter.
The Virginia alum does provide some value, and he wouldn't be the worst backup in the world for the Pacers. But he's far from irreplaceable, and they might already have an upgrade on the roster.
In 47 games for the Pacers this season, Potter averaged 9.7 points, 5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1 turnover while shooting 51.5% from the field and 42.3% from deep in 19.3 minutes. For context, Huff averaged 9.5 points, 4 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.9 blocks on 47.6/31.9% shooting splits in 21 minutes.
Stats don't tell the whole story, of course, but even so, it's pretty clear who has the advantage. Additionally, the Ohio native is much more consistent, is a better passer, and is overall a better fit in the Pacers' system.
At the end of the day, this is just a battle of the backup centers, but for an Indiana team looking to re-enter the title picture next season, this isn't just some decision it can flip a coin to decide. And as it stands, Potter is the better fit for the team next season and beyond.
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