When the Indiana Pacers signed shooting guard Jeremy Lamb in free agency this offseason, quite a few let the move slip under the radar. Fans and media analysts knew that he was a talented player, but his time in Charlotte with the Hornets didn't put him on television for many to see nationally. He was viewed as a solid addition, but nothing much past that.
Now, five games into his career with the Pacers, Lamb has made a name for himself. After struggling in the season opener a bit, Lamb was forced to miss two games due to a hip injury. In his last two games, Lamb has helped lead the Pacers to their first two wins of the season and has put up great production.
Lamb scored 25 points to go along with seven rebounds in his first game back from the hip injury in a big-time win over the Brooklyn Nets. He backed that up with a 21-point, 10-rebound performance last night against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
At 27 years old, Lamb is actually one of the veteran leaders for the Pacers. He is in his prime and has shown major signs of progression over the last couple of years. The Pacers could not be happier with what they've seen from him and there is even more room for Lamb to improve.
His three-point shooting hasn't been exactly what Lamb would like it to be, but that will come with time. Despite his shooting struggles, Lamb has found ways to score. Without him in the lineup, the Pacers were having issues putting the ball in the basket, but Lamb has come back strong and formed a lethal scoring duo with Malcolm Brogdon in the back-court.
Not only has his scoring been a big addition, Lamb has crashed the boards in a big way from the shooting guard position. He had 10 rebounds as previously mentioned against the Cavaliers and is averaging 7.0 in three games this year.
Defensively, Lamb has not been amazing, but he has not been a major weakness either. It has been obvious that he is working harder on the defensive end of the floor than he has in recent years. Indiana has always prided themselves on defense and Lamb seems to be fitting into that culture nicely.
Late in the game against the Cavaliers, the Pacers looked to Lamb to be their go-to scorer. Even with the impressive performance that Brogdon was having, Indiana allowed Lamb to bring the ball up and make plays. He delivered and helped make enough plays down the stretch to seal the win.
All of that being said, Lamb is not going to be the No. 1 scorer on a contending team. But what he can do is stretch the floor and be a viable scoring option when called upon. When Victor Oladipo returns to the field, Lamb will likely head to the bench and will immediately be asked to be the No. 1 scorer with the second unit.
Indiana may have hit gold with the signing of Lamb. He is on a very friendly contract and his production has been exactly what the team has needed. Very few teams are able to get a player as talented as Lamb with the kind of money they ended up paying him.
Expect to see Lamb continue producing good numbers and to start shooting the ball a bit better moving forward. He may not be a star, but he is exactly the kind of role player that every contending team needs. If he take the next step as a perimeter shooter, the Pacers' offense is going to be even more dangerous.
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