The Indiana Pacers took a chance on Jay Huff to help replace Myles Turner’s value and give him real playing time. And as it stands, this move is paying massive dividends for them.
Jay Huff is becoming everything the Pacers wanted
After 10 seasons in Indiana, Turner signed a four-year, $108.9 million contract with the Milwaukee Bucks and forced his old team to scramble for his replacement.
Though he had his flaws, the Texas native was never going to be an easy player for the Pacers to replace. He was a stretch big who could protect the rim, run the length of the floor, and switch on defense. All of this made him a crucial part of the team's recent success, and there weren't many big men the Pacers could acquire this past offseason who could do the same things.
Ultimately, they acquired Huff from the Memphis Grizzlies. And while he possessed a similar skillset to Turner as a center who can stretch the floor and protect the rim, he had never really been able to do it consistently, averaging 9.6 minutes in 95 games with four teams before this season.
Even so, the Pacers took a chance on Huff and incorporated him into their center-by-committee. It didn't start off too hot for him in Indiana, but recently, the tides have turned.
In his last 10 games, the Virginia alum is averaging 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. Furthermore, he is beginning to look much more comfortable in Indiana's system. He looks quicker and is proving that he can switch and be a versatile defender, much like Turner was with them for years.
It still remains to be seen what exactly is in store for the North Carolina native. He's playing good basketball right now, but it's still a small sample size. The Pacers still don't know if they can trust him to start on a championship-caliber team, or if he's just a backup at best.
Huff should have the rest of the season to answer Indiana's most pressing questions about him. After all, if his recent play is any indication, he truly does have what it takes to make an impact on both sides of the ball and be a legitimate asset for the Pacers.
Either way, the Huff experiment is looking good in Indiana. He may never reach the highs that Turner did during his time with the team, but he can still be a solid contributor for a long time. And given that the Pacers put a lot of trust in him, which could have backfired in a serious way, they should be very happy with the way things have panned out so far.