Former St. John’s basketball standout JaKarr Sampson fills stat sheet

Former St. John’s basketball standout JaKarr Sampson filled the stat in his first game back with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA’s restart.

The NBA is back and St. John’s basketball fans can finally enjoy their former Johnnies back on the floor and playing live basketball.

While Red Storm stars playing in The Basketball Tournament and in overseas leagues are certainly exciting, there’s nothing quite like the intensity, excitement, and skill level of the NBA.

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JaKarr Samson and his Indiana Pacer teammates finally played in a meaningful basketball game down in Orlando, Florida inside the NBA’s bubble and the former St. John’s standout filled the stat sheet off the bench.

As the Pacers held on and pulled away late for a 127-121 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, Samson logged 20 minutes off the bench, the most of any reserve for the Pacers and despite only scoring six points, he also recorded six rebounds, two assists, and a steal.

Shooting just 2-of-6 from the field, Sampson still led the Indiana Pacers with a +/- rating of +20, although many cite the stat as not indicative of a player’s impact on the game.

The four-year NBA veteran is averaging 4.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in his first year with the franchise.

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Indiana’s victory moved the team into sole possession of the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference standings, one game ahead of the 76ers and the team is only two games behind the Miami Heat for the No. 4 seed although seeding isn’t as important this year due to no home arenas and crowds.

Seven games remain for the Pacers in the regular season of the NBA restart and things look very promising in the near future with the Washington Wizards, Orlando Magic, and Phoenix Suns coming up on the schedule.

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The Pacers and Wizards will play on Monday, August 3 at 4:00pm EST.