The Indiana Pacers finally have a real starting center again after they traded for Ivica Zubac in February. But how many centers are they going to have behind him?
They currently have Jay Huff under contract for one more season, and they can pick up Micah Potter's $2.8 million team option. Both of them had their moments in Indiana this past season, and it could be worth keeping them both around. However, the Pacers are likely going to look to shed some salary this summer to avoid paying the luxury tax, especially if they get their first-round pick back from the Los Angeles Clippers (which they will if it falls in the 1-4 range).
But on the flip side, can the Pacers trust having just one of them to be Zubac's primary backup? Both Huff and Potter are solid, but they also have their weaknesses (Huff -- streaky shooter, slow, weak rebounder; Potter -- basically anything defensively). And for a Pacers team that relies heavily on depth, can either of them be trusted to play real minutes in a playoff series?
These are the questions Indiana needs to figure out ahead of its return to title contention next season.
The Pacers have a backup center dilemma on their hands
It would be easy to say the Pacers should just commit to Zubac and one of Huff or Potter (or maybe they could move on from both and sign a backup big man in free agency, but that seems unlikely, especially this year where there aren't many good, affordable options), particularly because they have small-ball options in Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam, and, if he stays with the team, Jarace Walker.
But there are still question marks about what Huff or Potter can actually bring to the table. Sure, they had some moments this past season, but none of them truly mattered because they were on a losing team. They weren't great indications of their ability to contribute to winning basketball, which is what Indiana will hope to play a lot of next season. But the Pacers also might not have a lot of other options, unless they're willing to pay the luxury tax.
Establishing who their backup center (or centers) will be is far less important than figuring out who their starter is going to be moving forward. Luckily for Indiana, it has already found its answer to the second one. But this is a team that has been so successful because of their ability to run 10-man rotations in the playoffs and tire out their opponents without losing much of a step.
The Pacers need to figure out what their backup center situation will look like next season. Huff? Potter? Both? Neither? Only time will tell, but this is an important problem they need to solve.
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