Following Myles Turner's departure last summer, the Indiana Pacers opted to run a center-by-committee instead of making a big swing for his replacement. And while the committee itself left a lot to be desired, there were still a lot of positives that came from it, and it culminated in them finding their new starting center of the future anyway.
Many Pacers fans were fine with the idea of the center-by-committee. He wasn't perfect, but Turner was always going to be a tough player for them to replace because of his ability to stretch the floor, protect the rim, and run the length of the court. Plus, Rick Carlisle had experience with this strategy during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, so there were reasons to think it could work.
Unfortunately for Indiana, the centers in question weren't ones to write home about.
The Pacers traded for Jay Huff, who played for four different teams in as many seasons entering this one (and playing more than 20 games in a season just once). They also re-signed Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman, who were each fresh off an Achilles tear, and they kept Tony Bradley around, who wasn't a game-changer in any sense of the word.
While the center-by-committee has officially run its course, it ultimately had a positive effect on the Pacers that should pay dividends as they look to re-enter the title picture.
The center-by-committee was a worthy experiment for the Pacers
Thanks to the center-by-committee, Indiana found some answers it desperately needed.
No, Jackson isn't good enough to be the team's starting center of the future (or primary backup, apparently). And yes, Wiseman and Bradley are replaceable. However, they found a diamond in the Huff (see what I did there?) because of the committee, and they should be happy about that.
Huff stood out as the Pacers' clear-cut best center after a slow start to the season, and it wasn't even that close. He is very inconsistent, and he doesn't have a very high ceiling, but he knows his role, and he knows how to play it well.
The Virginia alum led the league in total blocks for most of the season, and he is tough to stop when he catches fire. Huff has five games of 20 or more points this season (he had just two such games before joining the Pacers), and he shot 38.6% from deep in the month of January.
Huff has established himself as a real asset to the Pacers, and he will likely be their backup moving forward.
Plus, while Huff was solid, it became pretty clear he wasn't good enough to be Indiana's starting center of the future, which led to them landing Ivica Zubac from the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of this year's trade deadline. And while he has yet to make his Pacers debut, there are reasons to be excited about what he can bring to the table.
And not to mention that Micah Potter, another big man the Pacers took a chance on this season as part of their experimenting, has been great in recent games and could be in line for a long-time role.
Entering the season, the Pacers' center situation looked bleak and uninspiring. And that's exactly why it has turned into one of their biggest strengths.