Last Updated on May 31, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

T.J. Leaf entered the spotlight as a highly skilled forward whose scoring touch and offensive versatility helped him stand out at a young age. Throughout his career, he has relied on his feel for the game and ability to contribute in multiple ways to remain an effective player at the professional level.

Player Profile

Physical Attributes:

  • Height: 6 feet 10 inches (2.08 meters)
  • Weight: 222 pounds (101 kilograms)
  • Wingspan: 6 feet 11 inches (2.11 meters)
  • Shoe Size: Size 18 (US)

Basketball Career:

  • Position: Power Forward
  • Jersey Number: 22
  • High School: Foothills Christian High School in El Cajon, California
  • College: University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) (2016–2017)
  • NBA Draft: 2017, Round 1, Pick 18 by the Indiana Pacers
  • Teams Played For:
    1. Indiana Pacers: 2017–2020
    2. Portland Trail Blazers: 2021
    3. Guangzhou Loong Lions (CBA): 2022
    4. Beijing Ducks (CBA): 2022–2024
    5. Nanjing Monkey Kings (CBA): 2024–Present
  • Achievements:
    • First-team All-Pac-12: 2017
    • Pac-12 All-Freshman Team: 2017
    • McDonald’s All-American: 2016

Personal Life:

  • Parents: Brad and Karen Leaf
  • Siblings: Two older brothers, Trent and Troy, and two younger sisters, Talia and Heaven
  • Children: Not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Ty Leaf’s player archetype is that of a skilled stretch four, an archetype built around face-up scoring, soft touch, and offensive versatility from the frontcourt. At 6-foot-10 and about 220 to 225 pounds, he had good size for a modern power forward, but his game leaned more on coordination, mobility, and feel than brute strength. Defensively, his role projected more as a team-oriented rebounder and positional frontcourt helper than a true stopper, with draft evaluations often pointing to questions about his strength, lateral quickness, and overall defensive ceiling. Offensively, he was at his best as a floor-spacing big who could score inside, run the floor, handle a bit, and make smart reads, which matched both his highly efficient freshman year at UCLA and the draft-era view of him as a polished offensive forward with perimeter-oriented skill. The overall play style was smooth and finesse-based: Leaf looked like the kind of big who could pressure defenses with skill, touch, and versatility rather than overpowering them physically. (UCLA)

Sources:

UCLA Athletics — MBKB_17MG_FULL.pdf
Sports Illustrated — Who is TJ Leaf? Scouting report, bio, analysis of NBA draft prospect
The Ringer — The Ringer’s 2017 NBA Draft Guide
ESPN — Pacers pick at No. 18: TJ Leaf, UCLA forward