Pacers Wing Has Been The Unexpected Hero of Season So Far

Matt Levine | 4 Hours Ago

Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers have been one of the more interesting teams across the NBA this season. After reaching the Eastern Conference Finals a year ago, many expected them to take that next step this year.

But to start, Indiana has been fairly inconsistent from game to game. The team has dealt with all sorts of injuries, especially in the frontcourt.

It has hurt them on the floor and caused the team to drop some games that they should have won. But one player has stepped up for Indiana and could be called the unexpected hero of the season so far,

That would be guard Quenton Jackson, who is currently on a two-way contract for the Pacers. Jackson hardly played last season with Indiana but has been making his presence completely known this year.

For the year, Jackson has averaged 7.5 points, 2.1 rebounds, and 2.4 assists over 11 games. Jackson has also shown off his strong shooting from distance, coming in at a 36.9 percent clip.

His teammates have shouted him out for doing the little things all year. Jackson has stepped up in a massive way to help Indiana stay afloat while they figure everything out.

“Q-dog, that’s what I call him man,” Myles Turner said of his teammate after Monday night’s Pacers win over the Pelicans. “I really rock with his passion, his energy, man. I think he does things the right way. He’s not no Prima Donna. I think he’s got a lot of stuff out of the mud. And he was able to come to this league and really make a difference. He worked his way up, you know, nothing’s been handed to him. This position wasn’t handed to him, he’s a starter in the NBA now and it took a lot of work for him to get to that point. I got a lot of love and respect for him because he’s just a good dude.”

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle even weighed in on the guard, hyping up his physicality.

“The first thing you notice about him is just how hard he goes, how physical, how fast,” Rick Carlisle said of what Jackson brings to the team. “He’s a combative defender. He’s a rim attacker. He’s going to bring intensity and competitiveness to the game. This is an amazing opportunity for him in his career. And every night he’s getting some kind of a really tough matchup, which is something that he really covets.”

If Jackson continue this dominant play, he could see his contract be turned into a full-time NBA deal. Jackson has been the glue to hold the Pacers together to start and they wouldn't have a chance to turn things around without him.

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