12. Jakarr Sampson, forward
The 12th best player for the Indiana Pacers 2019-20 season was Jakarr Sampson. Jakarr is another one who was used sparingly by the Pacers this season. But when he was given a chance, he was sure to give it everything he had and make the most out of the opportunity.
In the 2019-20 season, Sampson appeared in 26 games for the Pacers, averaging 13.1 minutes in those games he appeared in. He averaged 4.2 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game on 59-15-55 shooting splits and a PER of 11.8. His numbers are what they are, but Sampson is another one who brings the energy off the bench and enjoys doing the dirty work.
Jakarr is a very good defender and made things difficult for opposing bigs, specifically outside of the paint, which is something that the Pacers sorely needed after losing Thaddeus Young in the offseason.
Not to mention, Jakarr is an absolutely ferocious dunker. Watching the Pacers night in and night out, you would swear that nearly all of Sampson’s field goals were dunks. And you would be on to something with that assumption. Of Jakarr’s 81 field goal attempts in 2019-20, 49 of them came at the rim (60%). And of those shots at the rim, 20 of them were dunks. So of all shots that Jakarr Sampson took in 2019-20, almost 25 percent of them were dunks. After all of that is broken out, it is not hard to see how he shot an incredibly efficient 59 percent from the field this season.
And on top of his efficient play on offense and his versatile defensive ability, Sampson is just simply a guy who keeps the energy up on the team. When he comes into the game there is a very noticeable spark provided, and he is a positive locker room presence. Whether or not this was Jakarr’s only season in Indiana, he was a joy to watch.