Many were excited when the Indiana Pacers acquired Jay Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason, and rightfully so. At the time, the Pacers had just lost long-time big man Myles Turner in free agency to the Milwaukee Bucks, and they were desperate for a solution.
In theory, Huff was the perfect acquisition for the team. He has a very similar playstyle to the Texas native as a mobile big man who can stretch the floor (he shot 40.5% from beyond the arc on 3.1 attempts per game last season) and protect the rim. Plus, with an AAV of $2.5 million, he was significantly cheaper than Turner.
If the Virginia alum could even somewhat replicate Turner's value, then he was going to make life much easier for the Pacers as they look to find their long-term solution. Unfortunately for him and the team, this hasn't happened yet, and he's looking more like a nuisance than anything else at the moment.
Jay Huff is not playing well for the Pacers
The season is still young, and it's important to remember that this is a new experience for Huff. Not only is he on a brand-new team, but he is also taking on an expanded role for the first time in his NBA career. It's natural for him to need some time to figure things out.
However, even so, Huff has not looked good so far.
In his first 13 games of the season, the North Carolina native averaged 5.5 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks while shooting 36.8% from the field and 26.1% from deep.
Given that spacing the floor and being a perimeter shooter were Huff's biggest strengths, it would be an understatement to say that this is not good. And this includes a 4-for-9 shooting performance against the Brooklyn Nets on Nov. 5. Take this game away, and he's shooting 21.6% from beyond the arc.
Huff is looking decent defensively, and he does lead the team in blocks per game. However, beyond blocking shots, his defense hasn't been too impactful for the Pacers. He has mostly struggled switching defensively. Sometimes he looks lost or is just a step too late.
While he wasn't perfect, especially by the end of his Pacers tenure, this is one of the main reasons Turner was so successful with the team. He could block shots, but he could also move around, switch, and guard other positions. So far, Huff isn't looking like that type of player.
The 27-year-old also isn't providing much value on the boards (on second thought, maybe he is the perfect replacement for Turner), which certainly doesn't help his case as he looks to make a name for himself in Indiana.
Can Huff still turn it around? Absolutely. Will he? Only time will tell, but so far, there are more reasons to believe he won't than he will.
At the very least, Huff is looking replaceable for Indiana. And given how bad the team's center situation is, this is not great. Fortunately for the Pacers, they will have a lot more time to experiment with their roster this season since they likely won't be competing for a playoff spot. And because of this, Huff will be an important player to keep an eye on as he looks to prove he can help the Pacers play winning basketball down the line.