Indiana Pacers: What the Sabonis injury offers T.J. Leaf

Plantar fasciitis suffered by Sabonis leaves a hole in the Indiana Pacers frontcourt, one that might afford T.J. Leaf the opportunity he’s been waiting for.

There’s no maneuvering around the seismic impact Domantas Sabonis’ foot injury has on the Indiana Pacers. Gone likely for the remainder of the season is their lone All-Star, second-leading scorer and one of only two players in the entire NBA eclipsing 18 points, 12 rebounds and five assists per game.

Given the state of the Eastern Conference’s top tier, Indy was never more than a second-round team, not even at full strength. The absence of Sabonis and potentially Victor Oladipo then raises the question of what the Pacers hope to gain from their bubble experience.

At the very least, having to fill 34.8 nightly frontcourt minutes should allow Indiana to finally assess the big man they originally envisioned assuming that role.

T.J. Leaf was taken by the Pacers with the 17th pick in the 2017 Draft. Eight days later, Sabonis was brought in via the trade that sent away Paul George, putting Leaf behind the eight-ball before he could ever dictate otherwise.

He looked to be everything required of the modern big man during his lone season at UCLA. At least at the offensive end, where he produced 16.3 points on 61.7 percent shooting, canning 27 of his 58 3-point attempts to go with 8.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists in a shade under 30 minutes a night.

That long-range stroke has been teased at the highest level, where Leaf has gone a combined 31-for-87 from downtown for a modest 35.7 percent clip in his three pro seasons. He’s also flashed some pick-and-pop prowess that includes stepping beyond the arc.

It’s hard not to notice the different elements Leaf brings compared to Sabonis, who prefers to take a few steps in before letting fly. With Sabonis in that position, his presence near the free-throw line would theoretically allow Thaddeus Young to simultaneously defend both him and T.J. Warren, keeping Indiana from the quality shot Leaf’s outside stroke produced.

Not a knock against someone with the fifth-best mid-range shooting percentage among bigs with at least 2.0 attempts per game. Just an observation of the analytics-friendly contributions Leaf brings that the Pacers could develop to their advantage.

For a team that ranks 29th and 30th in threes made and attempted per game, respectively, Leaf could prove a much-needed wrinkle to a middling offense, but the minutes haven’t been there.

Leaf has totaled 1,174 minutes in his three NBA seasons (8.6 a game), 18th most among his fellow 2017 draft mates. Ahead of him are names like Ivan Rabb and even Markelle Fultz, none of whom come within 30 of Leaf’s 136 games played.