Anytime a team trades for a player, as the Indiana Pacers team did by trading for Jay Huff, a quick reaction for fans is throwing in “(player’s name) highlights” onto Google.
In the case of Huff, one of the first results is this ESPN highlight package.
And there is something disturbing in those highlights: It seems Indiana traded for a man who can only score inside via reverse dunks.
Even on alley-oops.
By the numbers
Of course, Huff did more than reverse dunks. In reality, 18.51% of his dunk attempts were with him facing away from the basket. But it is worth noting he had streaks of dunks where it was nothing but the reverse variety, as he made 10 of his 54 dunk attempts that way. A few others may have qualified after watching replays on all of them, but the percentage is around there either way.
And let’s point out, though, this is a skill, not just a flourish used on uncontested attempts. Huff used his body to block off defenders and give himself room to flip it and reverse it, Ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnaht ym tup i, ti esrever dna ti pilf nwod gnaht ym tup i.
“I remember I did it some in high school. I probably started doing it more in college and NBA. It’s just kind of stuck around,” Huff said at the Pacers media day on Monday. “I think there’s times where it’s practical. There’s times where I jump and I just end up where I can’t really look at the rim and I just had to figure it out because if you come down with the ball when you’re up in the air like that, it takes more time. But if you can figure out a way to just kind of know where the rim is, it make makes your life a whole lot easier.
“The other part is it’s way more fun. You know, I grew up watching guys do just crazy dunks all the time. And I always thought that was fun. You know, growing up lowering the rim, playing with my friends, and just trying to do bunch of creative dunks, was something that I really enjoyed doing as a kid. And I’ve always wanted to kind of maintain that like, childlikeness, I suppose, of just enjoying basketball and enjoying dunking because dunking is one of my favorite things to do.”
He loves to reverse dunk so much that he’ll even attempt to do it straight out of a post-up possession as seen from pickup highlights this summer.
If you’re asking, “Why doesn’t he reverse dunk it all the time? Is he stupid?” then you need to learn how to phrase questions outside of terminally online vernacular and know that yes, his reverse dunks can be blocked. Twice, actually.
Dunks made up 17.7% of his field goal attempts, though that happened in a number of ways. He had great instincts on cuts to the basket to bail out stymied teammates. His 40.5% three-point shooting percentage opened the door to a number of driving dunks.
One difference from what the Pacers saw from Myles Turner during his decade with the team will be some alley-oops and lobs inside that Huff is expected to finish off both in forward and reverse.
“I think it fits well. I can do what they want me to do. I try to fit in there and I think like shooting, running the floor, catching lobs, I try to keep it simple,” Huff said at the Pacers media day on Monday when asked about his play style.
Huff, the second Pacer named Jay to don the No. 32 jersey since Jay Miller from 1969 to 1971, averaged 5.4 points and 1.7 rebounds a game last year. To expect him to come in and be the starter is an expectation built out of hope, not reality. As pointed out on the Locked On Pacers podcast, he can be inconsistent, as his best nights came against more lumbering bigs who can’t handle his mix of inside instincts and outside touch on offense.
Thanks to databallr.com, we can see he had some great nights against players like Nikola Vucevic (not exactly known for his quickness, though he got some of that back on offense) and Domantas Sabonis (not known for his defense). However, Giannis Antetokounmpo cooked his ass and showed that athletic, quicker bigs aren’t likely to be worried about Huff’s pick-and-pop abilities. Things will tend to go better for him offensively when guarded by other centers.
And for you sickos wondering, “Is he better than Myles Turner?” the quick answer is of course not but he’s also paid a small fraction of Turner’s new salary with Milwaukee. For what it’s worth, Huff missed his only attempt, a three, against Indiana’s former starting center.
What Huff can do is take advantage of those bench bigs that can’t run out and cover him and get back to guard the paint. More athletic centers can handle that, but the average backup center facing off against him will fuel the highlight reels and start conversations about why he isn’t a regular starting center.
What Huff can do is hide in a pantry to prank his family when he gets the call about being traded to the Pacers.
What Huff can do is be an elite content machine for Pacers social media team.
What Huff can do is provide a moment of levity with his goofy personality after a training camp practice.
What Huff can do is be a big man off the bench who blocks shots, stretches the floor, and yes, throws down plenty of reverse dunks. And maybe get dunked on occasionally.
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