Isaiah Jackson block on Victor Wembanyama highlight of productive week for Pacers patient young center
Isaiah Jackson is the Indiana Pacers third big right now. On a normal night, he's outside the rotation — he played in just two of Indiana's first six games.
But this week, Jackson stepped up in a huge way for the blue and gold. The young center was needed twice in three outings — once to combat foul trouble and once due to injury — and he made big plays in both appearances.
They were both big in terms of impact and big in terms of size. On Monday, with the Pacers hosting the San Antonio Spurs, Jackson made an incredible play to block the league's tallent player. With Victor Wembanyama spinning free for a left-handed dunk, Jackson leapt up from the weak side and swatted the shot above the rim.
"It happened so fast. It's something I'm sort of used to doing, blocking shots," Jackson said of the play. The bang-bang nature of the moment made it all natural instinct. He wasn't sure Wembanyama could dunk it from where he took off, but Jackson was still ready for the block.
While that one moment ended up all over social media, Jackson's full outing was equally impressive. That's what stood out to head coach Rick Carlisle. "What he did last night was one of the most impressive things I've seen," Carlisle said on Tuesday following the game. "By that I mean, I'm not just talking about the blocked shot on Victor. I'm talking about the way he has kept himself ready, the way he has continued to work."
Jackson finished the night with five points, three rebounds, one assist, and two blocks in 15 minutes of action. He didn't miss a shot from the field, and Indiana outscored San Antonio by 12 with him on the floor. It was an impressive game, especially considering it was Jackson's third outing of the season.
Carlisle has been happy with the way Jackson has filled in when there has been foul trouble. In both of his appearances this season in which the Pacers had a healthy frontcourt, the team hasn't missed a beat with him out there. The blue and gold are +15 with Jackson on the floor in those two games.
"We're asking guys to do their job in a system where the team is the only thing that matters," Carlisle said. He believes the 21-year old big man is doing exactly that. "That's what we're working toward."
Jackson is still growing. He's been coming in on his off days to get better while he is outside of the rotation, and that's been key for his focus this season. He's trying to control what he can control and stay ready when his opportunities come.
"Just working," Jackson said as the key to staying patient while he's outside of the rotation. Jalen Smith earned the Pacers backup five job, so Jackson has to be ready behind him.
So far, he has done that. And three nights after his impressive outing against San Antonio, Jackson was needed again. Smith was out against the Bucks. Jackson was the backup center.
Smith was announced as out after the game had already started, so Jackson had to be ready at the drop of a hat. Despite having to soak up minutes, and fouls, against Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jackson was ready to go. He finished with three points, three rebounds, one steal, and two blocks on 50% shooting in a win.
"I feel like I've been playing real well," Jackson said earlier this week. "Preseason, I had a couple bad games, a couple bad stretches. But I feel like [the Spurs game] sort of proved the work I've been putting in."
It was a productive week for Jackson. Despite being outside of his team's rotation, he played a key role in two Pacers wins and helped the team continue to look threatening. That's exactly what can be asked of a depth piece. He did his job.
That's why the Pacers were willing to invest in Jackson. They picked up his rookie-scale team option before opening night, even before seeing if he earned a rotation spot. They like what he can be when needed.
"Indiana, I think they believe in me. They've got the same goal I've got, which is just getting better," Jackson said of the option being picked up. This week, it became more clear why the Pacers believe in the young big man, and it was obvious that he's getting better.
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