Jay Huff leads Pacers to good-vibes win over Hornets before more transactions
The Pacers finally won a second game, then re-shaped their roster.
SECTION 107, Gainbridge Fieldhouse – The final buzzer sounded on Wednesday and the Indiana Pacers had more points than the Charlotte Hornets. After eight consecutive losses, many of them rough, the Pacers won a game. They did so comfortably, leading by as much as 24 in the win. Despite a late Charlotte push, the game never reached clutch time. The Pacers kept the Hornets away.
Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Pascal Siakam were all weapons. They were each humming throughout the night, combining to score the Pacers first 20 points, and that made it much easier for the Pacers to put effective lineups on the floor for 48 minutes. The team could always score. Their defense was frequently good enough.
It came together to produce a season-high field goal percentage (54.1%) and three-point percentage (42.1%). For a team that has struggled with shot making, it was a welcome sight – especially with much of it coming from the team's best players. Yet the story of the game was none of that trio.
Instead, it was Jay Huff. Huff's season has been disappointing. He spent much of the offseason in conversations (including many including me!) about possibly being the team's starting center. His skillset, albeit via a smaller level of impact, is the closest match to Myles Turner on the roster. The hope was that he could provide spacing and defense at the five
Prior to Wednesday night, he hadn't shot the ball well at all. 37.5% of his field goals had dropped, including 26.5% of his threes. He didn't make more than half of his shots in any of the team's first 14 games. On defense, he logged many blocks but often got beat defending in space. He still played and flashed his best skills but rarely was the Pacers best option at center.
Then, he bludgeoned the Hornets. Five points, two assists, and two blocks had already been logged in the stat sheet by the fifth-year center in just the first quarter. By halftime, he already had achieved a season-high in assists and was one away from doing so in blocks. And that doesn't even account for his 10 points and four rebounds.
Huff's jumper was falling. That makes everything look good. But he mixed in multiple effective drives, including one that ended with a highlight dunk, and those moments of rim pressure are important for the Pacers offense. He was able to kick the ball out to shooters, too. His offense looked tremendous.
"This was by far his best game. That's obvious," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said about 15 minutes after the victory. Carlisle opted to start Huff in the second half. "He creates a real challenge for the defense with his ability to stretch the floor... he brings a dimension that's unique at our center position."
His impact wasn't limited to offense. The Virginia product deterred many shots on the less glamorous end of the floor, which included three blocks, and was able to stay with his man against Hornets centers that aren't particularly fast.
That is, at least on the few possessions during which Huff was asked to guard a specific man. Much of the time he was on the floor, the Pacers shifted into a zone defense. Huff explained postgame that he hasn't played much zone before, but that alignment forced him to stay around the basket. His mobility and speed haven't popped this season, so keeping him anchored to his most impactful area of the floor is a smart strategy when possible.
Carlisle pointed to the big man's length as a key factor for his defensive success in the zone. All of that, combined with a terrific offensive outing, came together to make Wednesday night by far Huff's best game of the season.
"We ran a couple of plays to try to get me some looks. Just the way we were running, it led to more open looks for me," Huff said of his successes in the game. Earlier, he credited his teammates for getting him going. "It was a team effort. I think the way we started the game, [Andrew] started just super aggressive. We had a lot of momentum. Sometimes, the game just goes that way."
The Pacers best players have produced more often than not this season. But adding in 20 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three blocks from Huff made the Pacers look great. Their spacing was sharp, and their floor on both ends of the court was much higher. Finally, the Pacers looked like a team that could be hard to beat.
And, importantly, they did actually win. It was just the second time this season, but it had to feel good after so many losses, many of them blowouts. In the middle of that losing streak, Aaron Nesmith said the team just needed one win to get right.
Well, they got it. It was good for the record for the vibes. "It's the best feeling after a losing skid," Huff said postgame. "It was just exciting getting back in the win column."
The victory elevated the Pacers to 2-13. As is customary this season, they made multiple transactions following the outing.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl gets Monte Morris' roster spot
The Pacers had to make a decision when it came to Robinson-Earl's future after Wednesday's game. As discussed here, his second (and final) 10-day contract with the team expired after Pacers-Hornets. He was a free agent and not eligible for another hardship contract.
If the Pacers wanted to keep him, they had to find a way to open a standard roster spot. And Robinson-Earl's performance warranted such consideration. He's been in the starting five, is fourth on the team in rebounds per game, and doesn't bog down the offense or get in the way despite struggling with shot accuracy so far. He has obvious know-how.
"He's a knowledgeable player. He loves the game. He's versatile, he understands the game. He has a real good IQ, he has good feel... And he rebounds," Carlisle said of Robinson-Earl. "Anybody that can come up with the ball like that is going to create value."
If he creates value, then he should be on the roster. The Pacers concluded that on Thursday and decided to waive Monte Morris, who was on a non-guaranteed contract, in order to create the roster spot necessary to sign Robinson-Earl.
When Morris was signed, it made good sense to me. Andrew Nembhard was about to make his return from a shoulder injury and T.J. McConnell was still sidelined. The Pacers needed a point guard, and Morris gave them a steady hand and decent defense across four games in the rotation.
But Nembhard and McConnell healed. They could assume 48 minutes of point guard play. Morris' role shrunk to garbage time only, then became non-existent – he finished with a DNP on Wednesday. With RayJ Dennis still available as a point guard depth option, moving on from Morris was plausible, though certainly not an easy decision.
The Pacers did it, though, because Robinson-Earl has been effective and is just 25 years old. He could still improve, and he's going to be more precise with his play finishing than he has been. He'll have more time to prove it now with a two-year, non-guaranteed standard contract.
Garrison Mathews signs a hardship contract
Is that a three-point shooter? It sure is. The Pacers have signed Garrison Mathews to a contract via the hardship exception. Like previous deals for Robinson-Earl and Cody Martin, it's a 10-day pact.
Mathews takes, and makes, three-point shots. That's his sales pitch when it comes to being on an NBA roster. In every season of his career, better than 80% of his looks have come from long range. He's buried 38.2% of them and gets his shot off quickly, often leading to fouls.
He spent training camp and preseason with the New York Knicks, knocking down 41.2% of his threes in exhibition play. The Knicks financial outlook didn't allow them to keep Mathews, so he was waived. The Pacers now benefit – they rank dead last in three-point percentage and could use any juice in the shot making department.
Mathews will be available against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. That's when the Pacers will try to start their first winning streak this season. They'll hope Huff and their new players can help make it happen.
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Tony East
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