UCLA alum Ike Anigbogu is a project; can the Pacers develop him effectively?

The UCLA Bruins had a few major prospects go early in Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf. Both Ball and Leaf are expected to be early contributors.

Ike Anigbogu doesn’t quite have those high expectations, as he joins Leaf on the Indiana Pacers in the second round.

Here’s the scouting report on Ike from Bruins Nation.

Look, for how projectable Ike is, it’s still a big concern just how unrefined he is offensively. Ike never really developed a post game, or even much of an outside shot, during his time at UCLA, and that will be a problem at the next level. Even if he just developed a better touch around the rim, that’d go a long way towards making his offensive contributions good enough to justify large minutes.

Even on the defensive end, there are some concerns, specifically that Ike might be a bit too aggressive. I’m not going to go back and look at the game threads, but I’m pretty sure there was a point in every single game where people lamented Ike going for blocks rather than stay on the ground. It led to a lot of unnecessary fouls from Ike, but that’s the kind of recognition that Ike can develop with playing time.