Jay Huff is turning into a real asset in his first season with the Indiana Pacers. But it's pretty clear that he needs to see the court much more than he has. Fortunately for him, it seems that the Pacers are making that change.
In 24 games this season, Huff is averaging 7.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.5 blocks. Additionally, he is shooting 43% from the field and 31.7% from deep on the season.
The Virginia alum's stats look significantly worse than they should because of his dreadful start to the season. But now, he has picked it up, looks way more comfortable in the Pacers' system, and is making an impact on both sides of the ball. In his last 10 games, he averaged 10.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 3.4 blocks while shooting 48.1% from the field and 36.5% from deep.
Perhaps the most interesting jump for Huff, though, is the drastic change he has seen in playing time.
In his first 14 games, Huff averaged 14.4 minutes. But in his 10 games after, he averaged 24.2 minutes. And this includes him logging a career-high 31 minutes against the Sacramento Kings on Dec. 8.
The Pacers were only going to give Huff more minutes once he became better acclimated to their system and gave them reasons to give him more of an opportunity. He has done exactly that, and at this rate, he is looking like he will be a legitimate asset for the team, at least for the rest of this season.
Jay Huff is making a statement this season
Indiana acquired Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason as a way to help replace Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks in free agency due to their similar skillsets.
However, the North Carolina native still had a lot to prove. Before the Pacers acquired him, Huff played for four teams in as many seasons, started two of 95 games, and never had a big role. This was going to be his opportunity to showcase exactly what he brings in a consistent role. And while the season is still pretty young and a lot can change, Indiana should be happy with the way Huff has played.
It's too early to definitively say he's the guy who's going to replace Turner, especially because it still remains unclear what his long-term role in Indiana is going to be. But he's making a name for himself early in his Pacers tenure, and it's looking like they are going to continue letting him run free, which is completely the right call.