Age: 25
Years pro: 2
Status: Has two years remaining on his contract, with the second a team option.
Key stats: Played in 29 games off the bench, averaging 2 points and 1.9 rebounds while playing 7 ½ minutes per game.
He was just idling along, minding his own (lack of) business, racking up games on the inactive list, or, when he did get out of street clothes, DNP-CDs. But then all of a sudden Rakeem Christmas became relevant.
After playing just 23 total end-of-game minutes in seven of the Pacers' 57 games leading to the All-Star break, Christmas played in all but three of the final 25 games — and for meaningful minutes in most of them.