{"id":201956,"date":"2025-10-04T17:36:07","date_gmt":"2025-10-04T17:36:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/201956\/"},"modified":"2025-10-04T17:36:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T17:36:07","slug":"can-jay-huff-only-make-reverse-dunks-an-ipacers-investigation-ipacers-indiana-pacers-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/201956\/","title":{"rendered":"Can Jay Huff only make reverse dunks? An iPacers investigation \u2013 iPacers \u2013 Indiana Pacers News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anytime a team trades for a player, as the Indiana Pacers team did by trading for Jay Huff<\/a>, a quick reaction for fans is throwing in \u201c(player\u2019s name) highlights<\/a>\u201d onto Google.<\/p>\n

In the case of Huff, one of the first results is this ESPN highlight package<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And there is something disturbing in those highlights: It seems Indiana traded for a man who can only score inside via reverse dunks.<\/p>\n

Even on alley-oops.<\/p>\n

By the numbers<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And let\u2019s 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.<\/a> <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember I did it some in high school. I probably started doing it more in college and NBA. It\u2019s just kind of stuck around,\u201d Huff said at the Pacers media day on Monday. <\/a>\u201cI think there\u2019s times where it\u2019s practical. There\u2019s times where I jump and I just end up where I can\u2019t really look at the rim and I just had to figure it out because if you come down with the ball when you\u2019re 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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe other part is it\u2019s 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\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

He loves to reverse dunk so much that he\u2019ll even attempt to do it straight out of a post-up possession as seen from pickup highlights this summer. <\/p>\n

If you\u2019re asking, \u201cWhy doesn\u2019t he reverse dunk it all the time? Is he stupid?\u201d then you need to learn how to phrase questions outside of terminally online vernacular and know that yes, his reverse dunks can be blocked<\/a>. Twice, actually<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Huff said at the Pacers media day on Monday when asked about his play style.<\/p>\n

Huff, the second Pacer named Jay to don the No. 32 jersey since Jay Miller from 1969 to 1971<\/a>, 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<\/a>, he can be inconsistent, as his best nights came against more lumbering bigs who can\u2019t handle his mix of inside instincts and outside touch on offense.<\/p>\n

Thanks to databallr.com<\/a>, we can see he had some great nights against players like Nikola Vucevic<\/a> (not exactly known for his quickness, though he got some of that back on offense) and Domantas Sabonis<\/a> (not known for his defense). However, Giannis Antetokounmpo<\/a> cooked his ass and showed that athletic, quicker bigs aren\u2019t likely to be worried about Huff\u2019s pick-and-pop abilities. Things will tend to go better for him offensively when guarded by other centers. <\/p>\n

And for you sickos wondering, \u201cIs he better than Myles Turner?\u201d the quick answer is of course not but he\u2019s also paid a small fraction of Turner\u2019s new salary with Milwaukee. For what it\u2019s worth, Huff missed his only attempt, a three<\/a>, against Indiana\u2019s former starting center.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What Huff can do is take advantage of those bench bigs that can\u2019t 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\u2019t a regular starting center.<\/p>\n

What Huff can do is hide in a pantry to prank his family when he gets the call about being traded to the Pacers.<\/p>\n

Jay Huff on hiding in the pantry when he got the trade call and being excited to join the Pacers organization who he felt played with a lot of \u201chonor\u201d last season. pic.twitter.com\/ZcF2hNMo05<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 iPacers.com (@iPacersblog) September 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

What Huff can do is be an elite content machine for Pacers social media team.<\/p>\n

What Huff can do is provide a moment of levity with his goofy personality after a training camp practice. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

-#31-<\/p>\n

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