Indiana Pacers: 5 goals for T.J. Leaf’s rookie season
2. Improve defensively
For all of T.J Leaf’s offensive gifts, he is not known as a great defensive player. Now that he will be going against NBA-caliber opponents on a nightly basis, that weakness will be further exposed.
Leaf’s issues on the defensive end are two-fold: he doesn’t have the strength to battle in the post, and he also lacks quickness in space to guard smaller players or defend against the pick-and-roll.
Becoming an adequate defender at the NBA level will be a challenge for T.J. Leaf, but it may be necessary if he is going to play significant minutes in the near future.
TJ Leaf looks like he is stepping on the basketball court for the first time ever when he is on defense.
— xxSnEaKyPxx (@xxSnEaKyPxx) July 4, 2017
It doesn’t appear that Leaf will ever be a force on the defensive end of the court, but he has to show enough improvement that he isn’t a liability either.
As mentioned, Leaf has a strong work ethic, so he should be able to make progress as a defensive player, although his talent on that end of the floor appears somewhat limited.
If he’s successful, T.J. Leaf will make his mark in the NBA as a versatile offensive weapon. However, his overall ceiling as a pro player might actually be determined by his ability to adapt defensively.