Johnny Furphy had to wait longer than expected for his name to be called in the 2024 NBA Draft as he was the last name called among 24 green-room invites. With the new two-day format, he had an extra day of waiting before the Indiana Pacers traded up one slot in the draft to take him 35th overall.
“It was a lot of emotions. It’s something I’ve been working for my whole life,” Furphy said after his first Summer League practice with the team. “It was a massive relief … it’s a dream come true, pretty surreal. It’s slowly settling in now that this is reality but it’s exciting.”
Furphy admitted that there is certainly motivation from being in the green room and seeing everyone else selected before him, shaking hands with the commissioner. We’ll have to wait and see whether he becomes like Draymond Green, also taken 35th, and memorizes the 34 players taken ahead of him. While the 19-year-old Australian forward was disappointed to not hear his name called sooner, he’s happy with where he ended up despite not having any contact with the organization prior to the draft.
“I think I landed in a great, great spot … The Pacers run an exciting play style,” Furphy said. “The team dynamics are something where I can envision myself fitting really well with how fast they play and how many different players impact the game.”
Furphy signed a 4-year, $8.59 million contract with the team after practice. The first three seasons are fully guaranteed with a team option for the fourth year. Pacers GM Chad Buchanan sees potential in the pick and a fit with what the team needs.
“He’s a very aggressive and assertive player who knows how to play without the ball, which is beneficial for the way we play,” Buchanan said after the draft. “We put the ball in the hands of a lot of great playmakers, and if you get guys who know how to play without it, they know how to cut, they know how to crash the offensive glass—which is one of his best traits—they know how to run the floor, they know how to play in transition but can also catch and shoot. I think that’s a skill that will continue to develop with us because he’ll get lots of opportunities to do that.”
Furphy, who averaged 11.1 points and 4.6 rebounds in the 21 games of the final three months of his lone season at Kansas, sees his movement away from the ball as one of his strengths having consistently been one of the youngest players on his teams and needing to establish himself without possessing the ball as much.
“It’s something I’ve had to do my whole life playing with a lot of different teams is learning how to play without the ball in my hands,” Furphy said. “That’s something that I feel like I do really well, being able to impact the game with the ball: playing in transition, rebounding, cutting.”
Furphy may take some time to develop his game and his body before making an impact on the court for a very deep Pacers team but that’s by design after they had success with taking older players in this general draft range the last two seasons with both Andrew Nembhard and Ben Sheppard.
“We were pleasantly surprised that he was there,” Buchanan said. “He’s a younger guy. Obviously, you’ve mentioned targeting some older players. We’ve had success with that, but we also want to look a little bit long-term. Who are some players who have some long-term potential that maybe are going to take a little time to develop? The reality is our roster is in a situation it’s going to be tough for a young guy to come in and play. We have a lot of good young players already on the roster. We have a lot of established roles already. We feel like we’re willing to be a little bit more patient with a young player like Johnny.”
Furphy credited his time at Kansas and coach Bill Self for getting him prepared to be a professional and helping him mature both on and off the floor when he didn’t expect to reach the NBA as quickly as he did. For his time in Las Vegas and his first pseudo-NBA experience, he’s looking forward to it.
“A year ago, I didn’t know where I was going to college. I’m just trying to keep level-headed, just kind of enjoy the process, and keep going with this momentum,” said Furphy. “… (I’m working on) establishing myself, getting to know everyone, getting everyone to trust who I am as a player, but also just enjoy it. I think it’s super special being here.”
He’s made positive impressions already during Summer League practice from both teammates and coaches.
“He can shoot it and he’s taller than I thought too,” Jarace Walker said of his first impressions of the 6’9” Furphy. “A tall guy that can shoot is always valuable. He’s definitely a really skilled player.”
For the Summer Pacers, he’ll be coming off the bench at least initially in Las Vegas as Jannero Pargo told reporters that all five starters have been with the team previously which would mean the five will be: Walker, Kendall Brown, Ben Sheppard, Quenton Jackson, and Oscar Tshiebwe. Walker and Sheppard will likely only play the first couple of games which will open up more opportunities for Furphy and his fellow rookies Enrique Freeman and Tristen Newton.
“It was his first practice in a long time,” Pargo said of how Furphy performed in day one of Summer League prep. “I thought he did great. He shot the ball well, played hard—which is our main focus. He looked pretty good today. He’s young. We have an opportunity to get our hands on him and help him grow in our organization and teach him things that we value and want out of our players. He shoots it pretty well already, has great size, great instincts. Look forward to learning and growing with him.”
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