The Indiana Pacers have seemingly made it a habit to find diamonds in the rough or turn unlikely players into valuable assets. It's too early to tell for sure, but the Pacers may have just done it again.
Indiana signed veteran big man Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to a 10-day contract at the beginning of November. He did not make much of an immediate impact, averaging just 1 point and 1 rebound in 7 minutes across two games, but that quickly changed.
On Wednesday night, the Pacers lost to the Brooklyn Nets, who were winless heading into the game. With this loss, Indiana dropped to 1-7 on the year and sat at the bottom of the standings alongside Brooklyn and the Washington Wizards. The start to their season has been a massive disappointment (though this is largely because of injuries). However, they did just find a silver lining following Robinson-Earl's performance against Brooklyn that they will hope is a sign of things to come.
In the loss to Brooklyn, the 25-year-old scored eight points on 3-for-9 shooting and recorded two assists and a steal. More importantly, though, he grabbed 15 rebounds (including seven offensive boards). He led the Pacers in rebounding and was the only one on the team to secure 10 or more in the game. Additionally, he was just one rebound shy of tying his career high, according to StatMuse.
Is this a sustainable mark for Robinson-Earl? Probably not. Is this enough to potentially earn him at least another 10-day contract with Indiana? Absolutely.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl can be a solid contributor for the Pacers
Rebounding has long been a concern for the Pacers, but this year seems to be different. Their 49.6 rebounds per game rank as the second-most in the league, only behind the gigantic Houston Rockets.
On paper, this is great. But it might not be what it seems.
Indiana is such a good rebounding team this season because its offensive rebounding has taken a huge step. But why is that? It's because the team is missing more shots (like, a ludicrous amount more) than normal, meaning they have more opportunities to grab boards in the first place.
Once the Pacers get their guys back from injury and become closer to the team that just made it to the NBA Finals, their rebounding will likely become a weakness once again. In this case, the team might want to hold on to as many rebounders as they can, which is why Robinson-Earl can be a real asset. At least for a little while longer.
Robinson-Earl stands at 6-foot-9. He is too small to play center, and the Pacers really don't need another power forward for the long term. Still, he is a good rebounder (he averages a career 4.3 rebounds in just 17.6 minutes) and has already made an impact on the boards early on in his tenure with the team.
The Missouri native is likely not a long-term option for the Pacers in their quest to find a real center solution. But at the very least, Robinson-Earl showed that, not only does he have talent, but he can provide value in an area where the Pacers may need it as a rebounder and a depth piece.
A second 10-day contract is likely in Robinson-Earl's future. And if he continues to make the most of his opportunity, he may be able to solidify himself as a legitimate contributor.