Should the Indiana Pacers give Isaiah Jackson an extension?

The Indiana Pacers have several players who are eligible for a contract extension this summer. They have already given one player an extension by re-signing Pascal Siakam. He was the priority for them and getting that done needed to happen before doing anything else.

It sounds like they will be offering T.J. McConnell an extension as well. That's two of the guys that have been a big part of the team over the past year. Obi Toppin and Andrew Nembhard are also due extensions and it will be interesting to see how they approach those contracts.

Isaiah Jackson is also up for a contract extension. The backup center was drafted back in 2021 as a first-round pick out of Kentucky. Since then, he has averaged just 15 minutes per game in his career. He has waffled back and forth between being in and out of the rotation.

The Indiana Pacers shouldn't extend Isaiah Jackson

Jackson ended up being the backup center for most of the playoffs. He didn't add a ton of value though. He's a rim runner who doesn't quite have the strength to get to the rim for the lobs on a regular enough basis. While he shows the ability to block shots, he gets faked out too easily. He's a walking foul.

Should the Pacers give Jackson a contract extension? I would say no. He's a decent rebounder, but not great. He's too skinny to consistently box people out for tough boards. He can't shoot even a little bit either. The only thing he does is play hard, which is an important skill.

If the Pacers do decide to sign him to an extension, it should be for relatively cheap. He's going to be a borderline rotation guy, especially if they decide to bring Toppin back. If that happens, he's not going to see time unless a matchup against Joel Embiid or Steven Adams. Indiana could move toward small-ball in that scenario.

Jackson just hasn't shown the potential to be anything more than a borderline rotation guy. If he's okay taking the minimum, then bring him back. There's no downside at that point. Indiana might also just wait to see how he plays next year.