The Indiana Pacers lost their starting center in a wild free agency departure when Myles Turner joined the Milwaukee Bucks. As they use this gap year to prepare for another run next season, they are understandably looking for a starting center of the future. What if Jay Huff is the answer -- and is already in the building?
The Pacers lost two starters from last year's NBA Finals team. One is coming back next year -- Tyrese Haliburton isn't going anywhere. The other, Myles Turner, is not coming back. Figuring out the long-term replacement for Turner is one of the franchise's top missions this season and offseason so that they are prepared to go to war when Haliburton returns next year.
Recent reporting on the Pacers is that they are looking around the league for their center of the future. They have been lightly linked to Anthony Davis and more heavily linked to Ivica Zubac and Daniel Gafford. There are options on the trade market, should they want to push in some assets to swing a deal.
That would be the wrong move. They do need a viable starting center, but the reality is that they already found him. Jay Huff has played so well for the franchise that they should give him the starting job for next season and save their assets and money for someone else.
Jay Huff is the answer to their question
The primary reason that they should give Huff the job is that he is worthy of it. In the last 15 days as Huff has risen into a more prominent role and taken over as the starting center, he leads all NBA players in that span in blocks per game at 3.7. He is shooting 53.7 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from 3-point range over that span as well.
There are obviously weaknesses to his game, or he wouldn't have been available for a pittance on the trade market this past summer. Yet the basics of his game are that he is efficient, can stretch the floor and protects the paint. The Pacers don't need Shaquille O'Neal or Nikola Jokic back there, and Huff unlocks their preferred system on both ends of the court.
Huff pairs extremely well with Pascal Siakam particularly, giving him space to operate on offense and providing backline support for Siakam to generate turnovers on defense. On the season, the Pacers have a -7.5 net rating. When Siakam and Huff share the court, however, that number rises all the way to +3.7, per databallr.com.
Huff is playing well and has risen to the task of starting center. It is also true that there are better centers available around the league; Daniel Gafford would likely be an upgrade on Huff. Ivica Zubac certainly would. But acquiring those players would take matching salaries and draft assets; Huff is already in the building.
What is more, Huff is incredibly cheap. He will make less than $6 million over the two seasons after this one, locking in a capable center at a bagain price. With Bennedict Mathurin due for a raise and extensions for other players kicking in, having a cost-controlled center making $3 million instead of $20 million could make a huge difference for the roster as a whole.
Finally, the unknown of next summer could open up another possibility. The Pacers could draft a center with their first-round pick and not want an expensive addition to block him. A trade could fall in their laps to add another option. Pulling the trigger now, in the midst of their gap year, when Jay Huff looks the part of a starting center? It would be a mistake.
Let Huff cook. He's doing a great job thus far.