After Myles Turner's offseason departure last summer, the Indiana Pacers' center situation looked incredibly bleak. They opted to run a center-by-committee to begin the season with Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, Tony Bradley, and James Wiseman to help replace their long-time big man. And it didn't work out nearly as well as they had hoped.
Jackson, Bradley, and Wiseman are all already off the team, and while Huff has been solid this season, it's clear he's not good enough to be Indiana's full-time starting center moving forward. Given that the Pacers have hopes of re-entering the title picture as soon as next season, this was a big problem they needed to address.
And not only have they done that, but they may have turned their center problems into a big strength that will greatly elevate their championship dreams.
The Pacers' center situation is looking good
Ahead of this year's trade deadline, the Pacers pulled off a blockbuster move and acquired big man Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers.
Though he has yet to make his debut for the team, Pacers fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about Zubac's arrival. He is one of the best pick-and-roll centers in the league, and he should only get better with Tyrese Haliburton feeding him the ball. Additionally, he is a fantastic rebounder, averaging 12.1 boards per game across the past two seasons, and he is an elite interior defender.
Zubac finished sixth in Defensive Player of the Year voting last season and earned All-Defensive Second Team honors while anchoring a Clippers team whose 110.3 defensive rating was the third-best in the NBA.
The 28-year-old will address a lot of Indiana's biggest problems, and he will greatly elevate the team in every area of the game.
Furthermore, while he may not cut it as a starting center moving forward, Huff has already established himself as a valuable part of the Pacers' roster. He can be very inconsistent, but when he's on, the Virginia alum is fantastic.
Huff can stretch the floor and protect the rim at a high level. He shot 38.6% from deep in all of January, and still leads the NBA in total blocks with 106. Huff doesn't have a high ceiling, and he is too slow to ever truly be a good fit in the Pacers' system, but he can be the perfect backup on a championship-level team.
And while it remains to be seen if he'll have a long-term role in Indiana, Micah Potter has been impressive in his stint with the team, especially in recent games. As a third-string big man, Potter, who is on a minimum contract, brings some real value as someone who can stretch the floor and grab some boards.
The Pacers seem to be deep at center, and given how important depth is for them, this should be a real strength for them as they look to re-establish themselves as real title contenders soon.