The Indiana Pacers took a shot when they acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason and gave him an expanded role. This looked like a genius move for a while, but now, Huff is starting to come back down to earth, and he could end up playing himself out of Indiana.
Not only does Huff not look like a future starter anymore, but he’s playing poorly enough for some to believe he won’t be a real contributor at all after this season.
Since the beginning of December, the Virginia native has averaged 8.2 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 2.1 blocks in 21.9 minutes across 16 games. Additionally, he shot 41.8% from the field and 26% from deep in that span, and he seemingly lost his starting job to Micah Potter.
Huff is still a good rim protector, and he can be valuable at times. But the Pacers have quickly learned why he can't be trusted to take on an expanded role, and as they look to re-enter the title picture, he might ultimately not be in their plans at all.
Jay Huff might not be valuable to the Pacers after all
The main reason Indiana traded for Huff in the offseason was for him to essentially play a role similar to Myles Turner, who joined the Milwaukee Bucks in the summer. They are both stretch bigs who can protect the rim. However, Huff was on a significantly cheaper contract and was a bit younger, whereas Turner actually had the experience to prove he can be a legitimate contributor.
At times, Huff looks like what the Pacers want him to, but the cons may outweigh the pros for him.
The North Carolina native is way too slow to fit in Indiana's system on both sides of the ball. Additionally, his shot is way too inconsistent for the Pacers to be able to trust him when the lights are at their brightest. And, to be direct, if his three-ball isn't falling, then he isn't going to provide that much value to the team.
Huff still has another two years on his contract after this season, which includes a $3 million team option for the 2027-28 season. At this point, it's fair to assume that the Pacers will at least keep him around past this season for depth. But the thought of him being a long-term, dependable big man? That's well in the past.