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Pacers select T.J. Leaf with No. 18 pick

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Action Images

With the 18th pick in Thursday's NBA draft, the Indiana Pacers selected UCLA big man T.J. Leaf.

Few bigs in the 2017 class can score like Leaf, who averaged 16.3 points on an absurdly efficient effective field-goal percentage of 65.2 during his lone NCAA campaign. The 20-year-old can shoot (46.6 percent from deep on 1.7 attempts per game), put the ball on the floor, finish above the rim, and can even lead a fast break if need be after securing a defensive rebound.

Mix in Leaf's impressive passing ability, and you have a tantalizing offensive prospect, though he needs to add a ton of strength if he wants to be a consistent interior finisher in the Association.

That lack of strength also limits Leaf on the defensive end, where, like his rebounding rate (19.7 defensive rebounding percentage), he leaves much to be desired.

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