Indiana Pacers: Ranking each player from the 2019-20 season

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - FEBRUARY 01: Domantas Sabonis #11 and T.J. McConnell #9 of the Indiana Pacers celebrate against the New York Knicks in the second half of a game at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 1, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Knicks defeated the Pacers 92-85. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

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Indiana Pacers TJ Leaf (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

14. TJ Leaf, forward

The 14th best Pacer for the 2019-2020 season was TJ Leaf. Leaf is another one who only saw playing time in games that had been long decided, completely falling out of Nate McMillan‘s rotation this season. Some of that has to do with the number of new players that Indiana brought aboard in the Summer of 2019. But some of it has to do with Leaf himself.

It would seem as though Leaf’s game has not developed the way the Pacers front office had hoped it would by this point in his career when they selected him 18th in the 2017 NBA Draft.

The former first-round pick struggled again to find his place on the team this season. Leaf appeared in just 25 games this season, down from 58 games the season before. In his 25 appearances, Leaf played just 7.7 minutes per game, averaging 2.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 0.2 assists per game on 44-36-58 shooting splits, and a PER of 13.8.

The Pacers did pick up Leaf’s fourth-year option in October of last year, so he will still have a chance to prove that he is a useful NBA player worthy of a second contract. But to be completely transparent, the only reason I don’t have TJ Leaf ranked dead last in this list is because of the 13-point, 15-rebound double-double he notched at home against Chicago in November.

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