Among the most shocking rotation decisions in Wednesday's game against the New Orleans Pelicans was Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle choosing Quenton Jackson as the team's backup point guard in the absence of TJ McConnell.
McConnell is currently rehabbing a hamstring injury, and the 34-year-old is likely at the point in his career where missing time is a question of when, not if.
However, it is shocking that Jackson is the choice for this role. Just over a year ago, Jackson was on a two-way contract. Before that, he had bounced around with the Washington Wizards and Chicago Bulls G League teams. This is not a proven player, and yet he produced well enough to be dubbed the "star of the game" by his head coach.
"I thought the hero of the game was Quenton Jackson, who came in and... there was a four-point swing in the second half," Carlisle said. "he earned his way into crunch time. That's what we need. We just need guys playing their hearts out. Anything less isn't going to get us there."
Jackson is fighting for his career, and he is earning a longer and longer leash every time he plays.
Shout out Q-Jacks
In the absence of McConnell, it does truly feel like Jackson is the team's only playable backup guard.
Braden Smith, the team's second-round pick, already looks to be lacking all of the necessary physical tools to be a real NBA player. Even in the best-case scenarios, Smith will not be ready to play this year.
Beyond him, the Pacers are seemingly limited to only Kobe Brown, another two-way guard who came over as part of the Ivica Zubac trade. Brown had some flashes during preseason but is by no means a capable enough creator for others to replace TJ.
No, all this leaves for the Pacers is either playing Andrew Nembhard more off the bench or trusting the affirmation Jackson more. Nembhard did spend more time playing with the reserves than he typically does, scoring 18 with nine assists to go with it in a more ball-dominant role, but it was Jackson who stood out.
He was one of only two Pacers bench pieces to not have a negative plus-minus. That doesn't sound like much, but it took Obi Toppin a 20-point performance on great efficiency to be at +3. Jackson doing it without the gaudy stats is commendable.
While many would (fairly) blame the Pacers' gap year on injuries, it's also fair to consider the role depth played in it. Without suitable replacements, every individual injury became a question of who would fill a void they were not prepared to occupy.
It's nice to see that won't be the case after the first injury of the season.
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