Al Jefferson comes into the Pacers 2017-18 season in a situation he’s never known in the NBA: out of the rotation. Jefferson, who will turn 33 in January, finds himself behind 21-year-olds Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis.
Despite losing 20 pounds this offseason (and 40 since signing in 2016), “not quite as big but don’t talk about chicken” Al Jefferson is looking at the possibility of DNP-CDs all year and has only 4 of his 10 million guaranteed next year. How does he figure into the plans for the Pacers this year?
Option A: The senior Jefferson slides into a mentoring role from the bench.