When the 2015-16 season began, the idea of an Indiana Pacers front court that featured Ian Mahinmi sounded like a recipe for disaster, especially on the offensive end.
But now going into the 2016-17 season, it seems strange to think of a front court without him after he averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds and looked like an NBA starting center.
It isn’t as if he’s the key to the front court, but with him guarding the rim and Myles Turner providing backup, it allows Paul George to play in his natural position of small forward and take the opponents best player on as his assignment.