Ep. 56: Mike Yam on T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu

The Pacers went with young talent with great potential in the 2017 NBA Draft. … That’s what a draft is all about, right? Potential. They used their first-round pick on 6-foot-10 forward T.J. Leaf at 18. With ties to the state and city, including his father, Brad, playing at Lawrence North High School, Leaf made it clear to the Pacers that he wanted to be here. Through his agent, through reporters. And that meant something. Leaf, who’s 20, led the 31-5 Bruins with 16.3 points and 8.2 rebounds as a freshman. [First reaction: Pacers coach Nate McMillan on T.J. Leaf] Pacers President Kevin Pritchard was then ecstatic to see 18-year-old big man Ike Anigbogu still available when they were up again at 47. He’s raw, and not 100 percent, but the team felt comfortable with their medical evaluations of the “physical specimen,” who’s 6-foot-10 and weighs 252 pounds. Oh, and Anigbogu was also a Bruin for one season. To learn more about these two, I talked with Mike Yam of the Pac-12 Network. He’s a studio host with Ashley Adamson, the former WISH-TV reporter here in Indianapolis, and he’s also the host of Give Me a Sense podcast. Subscribe to the Pacers Podcast on iTunes. I welcome your questions and comments @ScottAgness on Twitter or via email. Topics Discussed: * Why Ike Anigbogu was a great pick at No. 47 * What type of player Anigbogu could develop into * T.J. Leaf’s strengths and weakness * How both are great at pushing the ball up the floor * UCLA fans’ feelings toward head coach Steve Alford