The Indiana Pacers have not used their G League affiliate a great deal, but having the option to get their young players some court time has been a valuable developmental tool.
Historically, the Indiana Pacers have not used the G League as often as some franchises. However, over the past 2-3 years, the club has begun to utilize their G League affiliate more often as they’ve added more young talent to the roster.
Indiana is still rather selective in their use of the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, as players who have been on the Pacers’ active roster have only logged 16 games in the G League to this point in the season.
Despite that fact, the G League has been a nice addition to Indiana’s player development program. Several young players have already been able to gain valuable experience they would not have gotten sitting on the end of the Pacers’ bench.
Rookie power forward T.J. Leaf was the 18th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, but with Thaddeus Young and Domantas Sabonis also on the roster, it appeared from the beginning that Leaf’s playing time could be sporadic.
Leaf has bounced in and out of Nate McMillan‘s playing rotation, so the team decided to send Leaf to Fort Wayne for a few games to get him some minutes.
Leaf played very well for the Mad Ants during his recent three-game stint, averaging 23.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. His sweet shooting stroke was also evident as he hit 57.4 percent of his shots, including 53.8 percent from 3-point range.
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T.J. Leaf was just recalled from the G League, but he received 98 minutes of playing time in Fort Wayne that allowed him to show off his offensive skills, and perhaps more importantly, build his confidence.
Another 2017 draft choice, second round center Ike Anigbogu, has seen seven games of action in the G League thus far. Anigbogu is seen as a potential defensive game-changer and stout rebounder, but his offensive skills are raw.
Anigbogu has struggled a bit offensively in Fort Wayne (6.6 points per contest on 45.7 percent shooting), but he has shown flashes as a defensive and rebounding force.
In only 23.8 minutes per game, Ike Anigbogu has pulled down 6.7 rebounds per contest in the G League. He’s also averaged 1.6 blocked shots per night during his time with the Mad Ants.
Ike Anigbogu (@IkePostrs_) has averaged 6.6 points over 7 games with the Mad Ants this season. pic.twitter.com/KoI5fLZTNX
— Mad Ants Basketball (@TheMadAnts) December 22, 2017
Anigbogu would have to be termed a project at this stage of his NBA career, having minimal playing experience at the age of 19. However, he is a talent who was so highly regarded coming out of UCLA that many mock drafts had him going around the spot where T.J. Leaf was actually chosen in the first round.
Forward Alex Poythress is signed to a two-way contract, so he should see plenty of G League action over the next few months. In his first six games, he’s performed admirably in Fort Wayne.
Poythress has posted averages of 20.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists for the Mad Ants, showing why Indiana feels he is worth developing as a possible future NBA rotation player.
The Pacers are also trying to find spots to get Poythress on the floor when he is up from Fort Wayne, as they are in the process of trying to determine just what they have in the 6’7″ former Kentucky Wildcat.
Next: 2018 NBA Mock Draft: End of 2017 edition
The G League offers NBA teams a way to bring young players along who need to spend time on the court in a system virtually identical to that of the parent club. The Indiana Pacers are taking advantage of this opportunity, and the results are already starting to show.