Rick Carlisle: Isaiah Jackson was ‘tremendous’ en route to career night
With the Indiana Pacers down Domantas Sabonis, Isaiah Jackson knew he needed to have a strong performance on Monday, and the rookie did just that to lead his team to a win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Jackson produced a career-high 26 points, 10 rebounds and two blocked shots in the 122-116 victory. He went 12-of-19 from the field in 29 minutes of work in place of Sabonis, who was placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocol on Monday.
In addition to Sabonis, the Pacers were also without Myles Turner and Malcolm Brogdon, which also opened the door for Terry Taylor (15 points, eight rebounds) and Duane Washington Jr. (16 points). They were commended afterward by head coach Rick Carlisle.
The contributions of Isaiah Jackson, Terry Taylor and Duane Washington were just tremendous tonight. It is so great to see, so heart-warming. Fouls have been an issue for Isaiah, he has been fouling out of games in 12-14 minutes. He had zero fouls tonight and had just an unbelievable effort with 26 and 10.
With the performance, Jackson became just the second Pacers rookie to record at least 25 points and 10 rebounds since Turner in 2010. He is the fourth rookie to reach those numbers in a game this season, joining Scottie Barnes, Cade Cunningham and Bones Hyland.
a night to remember for @IJackson22
first career start + first career double-double
26 PTS | 10 REB | 2 BLK pic.twitter.com/Mbg9vKk01E
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) February 1, 2022
The start for Jackson on Monday was his first of the season. He had played sparingly this season prior to January but has seen a larger role as of late with injuries and players in the protocol. He was initially a bit nervous to start but eventually locked in.
There were a little nerves in the beginning but after you start hooping, everything just goes out the door. I know my guys needed me so I knew I was going to be there to step up and I contributed a lot today so I’m just going to keep growing on that.
With Sabonis out at least a few games, Jackson figures to continue to see a larger role with the Pacers. Despite not having minutes for him, the Pacers knew what Jackson was capable of providing and the 22nd pick showcased that on Monday.
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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