The Indiana Pacers announced their roster for NBA Summer League as they start practicing this weekend and then have their first game in Las Vegas on July 8 against their draft-day trade partner, the Washington Wizards.
The roster is highlighted by all four of the team’s draft picks (Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard, Mojave King, and Isaiah Wong), four players that were with the team last season (Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, Isaiah Jackson, and Kendall Brown), and 2-way signee undrafted Oscar Tshiebwe. The team will be coached by player development coach Jannero Pargo. Pacers Summer League Schedule:
While the basketball during Summer League is meaningless and you can’t take it too seriously, it’s a fun week of watching the Pacers that will give everyone their first looks at the team’s rookies in a pseudo-NBA setting and a chance to see what kind of progress the returning players have made so far over the summer.
You don’t want to get too down on any player based on a bad Summer League. Aaron Nesmith was awful during those exhibition games last season after joining the team late once the Malcolm Brogdon trade was official but he became a key contributor and part-time starter for the team through the regular season. Former Pacer Solomon Hill once played so poorly in Summer League that his team option for the fourth-year of his rookie deal was declined which ended up working out quite nicely for him as he had the best shooting stretch of his career right before the insane spending summer of 2016.
The key to enjoying Summer League is looking for the details, finding the glimmers of skills that shine through a week of semi-organized basketball. Here’s what I’ll be looking for from each player on the roster:
The 1st-Round Picks
Jarace Walker is the main attraction here. I’ve gone in depth on Walker as a prospect before the draft with both what makes him so intriguing and my concerns about his fit with the Pacers. He’s where my eyes will be drawn on both ends of the court throughout the week in Las Vegas. I think I’m most excited to see Walker with a larger role offensively than he had at Houston at times. In college, he would show flashes of passing brilliance either out of the short roll, from the mid-post, or at the free-throw line against a zone but he was often relegated to the perimeter as a spacer as a freshman on a team with an All-American guard in Marcus Sasser.
So let me see Walker initiating offense at times, perhaps even running a 4/5 pick and roll and throwing lobs to Isaiah Jackson. Much has been noted about his love of floaters even though he’s built like a tank. Whether he’s more aggressive in seeking out contact and finishing through people when attacking off closeouts or on the roll is worth keeping an eye on. It’s only a handful of games so it’s hard to look too much at percentages but how willing he is to take 3-point shots and how much defenses guard him out there is something to monitor.
Defensively, Walker’s perimeter defense is where my attention will be focused. He moves his feet well but at times would get blown by off the dribble by quicker guards. The Pacers said that he defended Jannero Pargo well during his solo workout but–with all due respect to Pargo–guarding a 43-year-old former NBA point guard that last played in the league when Walker was a sixth grader is slightly different than keeping a current player in front.
“We were very poor on the defensive side so that was a big emphasis for us and will continue to be as add to this team is guys that can come in and improve us on the defensive side. Jarace does that,” Pacers GM Chad Buchanan said on what the rookie from Houston adds to the team. “Jarace has a lot of versatility to his game. He’s a guy who played point guard for a little bit of time in high school. He’s got a great feel for the game which Coach Carlisle and our staff really value … He’s a good fit for us in a lot of ways but mostly were excited about his potential to defend that position of that 6’7”-6’9” scoring hybrid is a challenge in our league. … That’s where we felt like he was a good fit for us as a defender.”
Ben Sheppard, the Pacers second 2023 1st-round pick, is constantly moving on the court. He loves to run around screens, cut, and tire his defenders out. He’s an elite shooter in just about every way whether it’s off the catch, pulling up, or moving off of screens. He’s a great connective passer and keeps the ball moving. Last season, Sheppard shot 41% from NBA range according to Zach Milner and his 3-point percentage increased over 4% in each of his four seasons in college.
Buchanan also talked about Sheppard and what they liked about him beyond his shooting: “I think Ben is a two-way player. The thing that stands out about Ben is that he’s in phenomenal shape and he’s in constant motion on both sides of the floor. Offensively, he’s running off screens, sprinting the lanes, curling off picks, pushing the ball in transition off of rebounds. His motor just never stops and that carries over on the defensive end too. He’s just a guy with a great effort level, a great care factor, and tremendous character. I think the fans and the media are going to love Ben Sheppard.”
In my limited exposure of watching him at Belmont, he seemed to pick up his dribble early before a pass was available far too often. On defense, I noticed that while he gave good effort, he would often overplay off the ball and get beat backdoor. Because I haven’t watched a ton of his games however, I’ll be getting to know Sheppard’s tendencies and what he likes to do through this week.
Are We Sure They Need to Be Here?
Bennedict Mathurin, 6th overall pick in 2022, joins the Summer League festivities for the second time. I was a little surprised to see him on the roster but he has been working out in Indiana during the team’s optional workouts and this will be an opportunity to see how much improvement he has made in a few areas: playmaking for others, general handle, and his attentive on defense—albeit this last one may be especially difficult to gauge in a setting where the games don’t really matter. I wouldn’t expect to see more than just a game or two for Mathurin, who can get a good week of practice in and then enjoy his time in Las Vegas after hopefully dominating the competition in his limited games.
Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson are in a similar boat to Mathurin where they likely don’t play more than just one game or two. For Jackson, this will be his third time playing in Las Vegas. For him, I’ll be looking for consistency on defense, is he just selling out for blocks or is he making sure he’s staying in good position? How’s his perimeter game on both ends? Does the jump shot look any better? Will he get any minutes playing more of a forward role rather than solely at center?
For Nembhard, he started 63 games last season. He doesn’t necessarily need to prove anything but if he can be an organizer for this roster while he’s out there that could go a long way in both the enjoyment of watching them play and the potential success of his teammates. I’m not sure I’ll take too much away from his game or two when we saw so many positives of him last season in so many different roles including as the lead guard but seeing what kind of chemistry he has with some of the rookies will be fun to see.
2nd-Round Picks and Two-Way Contract Candidates
Kendall Brown spent most of his rookie season dealing with a leg injury but was tendered a qualifying offer for a 2-way contract according to Keith Smith of Spotrac. Brown is one of just two players on the Pacers (Jordan Nwora the other) that really has the size to play both forward positions as the roster currently stands. He has the easiest path to minutes among any of the likely 2-way players. He was very fun to watch in last year’s Summer League and his speed and love for getting out in transition makes for entertaining play. If he has continued to gain confidence and skill in his jump shot, it could really go a long way for him cracking a rotation at some point in the NBA.
Isaiah Wong looks to be in line for one of the Pacers three 2-way slots and he’ll likely serve as their break-glass-in-case-of-emergency point guard in a similar vain as Trevelin Queen was last season. Wong is another 4-year college player out of the University of Miami, who knocked out IU and Jarace Walker’s Houston team in the tournament this year. Wong averaged at least 15 points per game in each of his last three seasons. He’s a scoring guard who averaged a career high 3.2 assists his senior year.
Mojave King is a planned draft-and-stash—the Pacers first since 2007—but in theory if the second-round pick played unbelievably well it’s not impossible that he could end up with one of the two-way deals instead of Brown or Wong. King struggled with his outside shot last year with the G-League Ignite as he made only 24% in 30 games. He made 80% of his free throws and Buchanan called him a good shooter after the draft so there are reasons to believe he can rise well above that dismal percentage. Here’s highlights from a seven 3-pointer game where he also shows off his timely cutting.
Oscar Tshiebwe, the college player of the year in 2021-22, is a rebounding machine and has reportedly already agreed to a 2-way deal with the Pacers. He averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds in his final season at Kentucky. He’s a little undersized as a center in height at 6’9” but he’s certainly not lacking in strength and effort. Seeing how his game translates at the next level will be fascinating to see.
The Longshots
Darius McGhee is an undersized guard at 5’9” and played five years at Liberty. He shot at least 38% from 3 in his last four seasons in college and averaged 22.8 points per game in his final season.
Nate Laszewski is a stretch power forward that spent five years at Notre Dame. He made at least 39% of his 3-pointers in each of his last three seasons and averaged 13.7 points and 7.2 rebounds in his final year for the Fighting Irish.
Eli Brooks played with the Mad Ants and for the Pacers during Summer Leagur last year. The former Michigan guard shot 38% from 3 in 15 games with Fort Wayne.
Robert Woodard II has played 25 NBA games in two seasons with the Sacramento Kings after being drafted in the second round in 2020. The 6’6” wing spent last season in the G League with the Oklahoma City Blue.
Ethan Thompson averaged 17 points per game for the Windy City Bulls over 30 games last season. He’s a 6’5” wing that went undrafted in 2021 after spending four years at Oregon State.
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Thank you for noting the very poor play of Aaron Nesmith last year in summer league. I really thought; “What are we doing with this guy?” Well he certainly proved me wrong. You’re absolutely right this is just a testing ground.
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[…] See the full schedule, roster, and notes on every player here. […]
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Pacer fans will love Ben Shepherd. He reminds me of Billy Keller, high motor, aggressive on both ends of he floor, and a deadly 3-point shooter. Give him a chance to play and you won’t be able to keep him on the bench!
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