Since getting traded to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of the Ivica Zubac trade, Isaiah Jackson has logged a total of five minutes (and was a DNP-CD on Wednesday). Meanwhile, Indiana has immediately gotten good play out of Jay Huff and Micah Potter, all without Zubac even making his debut for the team yet.
It’s an incredibly small sample size, and the trade happened just a week ago. Still, Jackson’s future in Indiana was a bit murky, and moving on from him was a great move.
Yes, Jackson signed a three-year, $21 million deal just this past offseason. And yes, he was a solid fit in Indiana and brought a ton of energy, hustle, and athleticism. But he lost his job to Huff, and even he wasn’t looked at as a dependabel starting center of the future.
To call it like it is, Jackson wasn’t going to be any more than a third-string center for the Pacers once they found their new starting center. And having him in that role on his current contract could’ve been disastrous.
However, Indiana moved on from him at the right time, and the trade should continue to age well moving forward.
The Pacers were right to trade Isaiah Jackson
Look, I liked Jackson. I liked what he brought to the table throughout his time with the Pacers, and I was rooting for him this season. And I also feel like it shouldn’t be lost that he didn’t lose any energy or explosiveness despite being fresh off an Achilles injury. But he was always going to just be a backup in their system if they were serious about being title contenders for the foreseeable future.
And shortly after the trade, it doesn’t look like they miss him too much.
In three games since the trade deadline, Huff has averaged 12 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 1.7 blocks while shooting 50% from the field. As for Potter, he has averaged 12.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. This also includes a 19-point, 12-rebound double-double off the bench against the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.
The Pacers have their next starting center, and they also have two solid (and cheap) depth options as backups. Jackson is a good player, and he should be able to carve out a role in Los Angeles. But as it stands, the decision to move on from the Kentucky alum is looking like the right one for the Pacers, and it really hasn’t even been that close.