BBNBA: Isaiah Jackson is making plays for the Pacers

Because of the Kentucky team he played on (the 2020-21 COVID-impacted group that went 9-16), Isaiah Jackson is often forgotten as a former Wildcat currently playing in the NBA. It doesn’t help that — now in year three — he’s never averaged more than 17 minutes per game, but the bouncy 22-year-old is playing an impactful role right now in the Playoffs for the Indiana Pacers.

Although it came in a 130-121 Game 2 loss to the New York Knicks on Wednesday night, Jackson was a known presence on defense in all 14 minutes he was on the floor. He finished with a stat line of five points, four rebounds, one assist, and one block, but he made all of his stats count and was a deterrent in the paint on the defensive end of the floor. His +11 in the box score was the second-highest among his teammates despite playing the fewest amount of minutes.

Jackson’s lone block came early in the fourth quarter with his team down 99-95. The lanky 6-foot-9 big man snuck up behind Knicks’ forward Precious Achiuwa and smacked a shot attempt into the crowd.

Isaiah Jackson said NO ❌ pic.twitter.com/cq84gk1LdI

— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) May 9, 2024

Jackson has been in and out of the Pacers rotation all season long, but over the last few games, head coach Rick Carlisle has given him a longer leash. In the final two games in the previous series against the Milwaukee Bucks and the first two of the series against the Pacers, Jackson has averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and one block in 11.8 minutes per outing on 61.5 percent shooting. His playing time has increased in each game.

Granted, Jackson’s offensive game is limited to shots at the rim, but his defense, length, and athleticism have been huge for the Pacers as of late. He’s embraced his role. Unfortunately, it hasn’t resulted in wins against the Knicks. That could change soon though as the series shifts to Indianapolis for Games 3 and 4.

Game 3 is scheduled for Friday at 7:00 p.m. EST on ESPN.

Isaiah Jackson still only 22 years old—gonna hang around the league for a decade.

— NBA University (@NBA_University) May 9, 2024

Other BBNBA notes

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander came in second in the 2023-24 NBA Most Valuable Player race, finishing behind Nikola Jokic, who won his third MVP award in four seasons. Jokic earned 79 first-place votes and collected 926 total points. SGA received just 15 first-place votes and earned 640 total points. Now a two-time All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.0 steals in 34 minutes per game during the regular season. The 25-year-old shot 53.5 percent from the field, 35.3 percent from deep, and 87.4 percent from the line. He’s got the Oklahoma City Thunder up 1-0 on the Dallas Mavericks with Game 2 action set for tonight.

5/8/2024 statistics

Player	Score	PTS	FG (3PT)	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	+/-	MIN
Isaiah Jackson (IND)	130-121 L @ NYK	5	2-4	4	1	0	1	0	11	14
Julius Randle (NYK)	130-121 W vs. IND	DNP-Shoulder	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Tonight in the NBA Playoffs

Round 2 | Game 2 | BOS leads 1-0
7:00 (ESPN): [4] Cavaliers @ [1] Celtics

Round 2 | Game 2 | OKC leads 1-0
9:30 (ESPN): [5] Mavericks (Washington) @ [1] Thunder (Gilgeous-Alexander, Wallace)