The Jay Huff experiment was an up-and-down one for the Indiana Pacers. Huff led the league in blocks per game for a chunk of the season, proved he can be a huge asset when his shot is falling, and was the best player from the team's center-by-committee. But on the flip side, he is also too slow to be a truly good fit, is a very streaky shooter, and is an inconsistent rebounder.
Fortunately for the Pacers, after they acquired Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of February's trade deadline, they no longer need Huff to stick around. However, there are some reasons to believe he can actually flourish as a backup. He still does provide some value and is a smart basketball player. In a reduced role, he won't need to go up against some of the best bigs in the league, and it will be easier for him to hide his weaknesses.
Indiana has a Huff decision they need to make this summer, especially with Micah Potter's $2.8 million team option looming. Either the team can keep all three centers together (which is unlikely, especially if they're still interested in avoiding the luxury tax), or they will have to choose between Huff and Potter.
Ultimately, it all comes down to whether the Pacers believe Huff can be a truly valuable backup center for their team. And that's something they will need to figure out sooner rather than later.
What should the Pacers do about Jay Huff?
It's tough to judge Huff's season in Indiana, given that everything was all out of whack for everybody on the team. He showed that he can have good moments (29 points, 13-for-17 shooting against the New Orleans Pelicans on Jan. 16), and he would be a solid backup from a defensive standpoint. But unfortunately for him, the pros may not outweigh the cons, and Indiana might be better off just moving on from him.
The North Carolina native was advertised to be a stretch big, yet he shot just 31.9% from beyond the arc last season. He's also a weak screen-setter and doesn't provide much offensive value if his shot isn't falling. When he's at his best, Huff can be a real asset in Indiana, but it seems like those moments are few and far between. And for a Pacers team looking to win a championship as soon as next season, it's fair to say they could do better.
It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world if the Pacers chose to keep Huff around past the offseason, largely because he is on a cheap contract, and the flashes he showed were promising. But is he really their ideal backup center? As it stands, probably not.
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