Indiana Pacers: 5 reasons T.J. Leaf was a good pick
4. High basketball IQ
T.J. Leaf is only 20 years old, but he has basketball knowledge and court sense that you typically don’t see in players of that age.
Leaf does a great job of playing within himself while also playing with passion. He doesn’t force the issue; if he’s open, he’ll shoot it; if he’s not, he’ll keep the ball moving.
He recognizes when he has an advantage on his defender, and generally cashes in on those opportunities. He’s not a lockdown defender, but he moves his feet and positions himself well when playing individual or team defense.
Nate McMillan on TJ Leaf: "A very skillful big guy that can spread the floor. His basketball IQ is very high."
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) June 23, 2017
Part of being a smart basketball player is doing the “little things” on the court, and Leaf excels in this area.
Moving without the ball seems to be a lost art these days, but Leaf does that well, creating high-percentage scoring opportunities as the result of his constant movement.
Some players just seem to have an innate feel for the game, and T.J. Leaf has that quality — this is one of the reasons that he projects to be a “safe” pick at No. 18.