New Indiana Pacers point guard Malcolm Brogdon is excited for TJ Leaf in the upcoming season, especially after the 22-year-old forward put in the work this offseason.
In an interview during the 2019 Pacers Foundation Golf Outing, Brogdon revealed that Leaf stood out the most to him this summer. Brogdon noted how the young big man stepped up and dominated during their pick-up games over the past few weeks.
“I think T.J. is taking a big step this summer. T.J. Leaf. He's been dominating in pickup, playing really well,” Brogdon said, via Pacers.com.
“This is a super competitive team. People play hard on both ends. You don't really see that in NBA teams where everybody, sort of, wants to push themselves on the defensive end and this team does that. So it's, you know, it's encouraging.”
Leaf was drafted 18th overall by the Pacers in 2017. He has seen limited minutes in the past two seasons, playing just 8.8 minutes and averaging 3.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game.
The Pacers will be without Victor Oladipo for the first few months of the NBA season, so they will need every player to step up big time. Leaf may not get an opportunity right away, but getting Brogdon's vote of confidence is certainly a step in the right direction.
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