Indiana Pacers Summer League action continued last night with a 105-94 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Johnny Furphy, the Pacers rookie, was a bright spot with 18 points and 7 rebounds.
The Summer Pacers continue to struggle with taking care of the ball as they had 25 turnovers in their second game and the lack of a point guard to really initiate offense has made me extra appreciative of the embarrassment of riches that Pacers have at point guard in Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, and Andrew Nembhard.
The high scoring of this 40-minute game was in large part thanks to a ridiculous amount of fouls (59 combined) and free throws (43 for the Wolves, 25 for the Pacers). Because you know what makes Summer League games more entertaining? Referees and foul merchants.
The Pacers played the same 9 players as game one in this one. Let’s dive into the task of grading each one.
Johnny Furphy – A-
Jannero Pargo said at the end of the mini-camp leading up to Summer League that Furphy reminded him of a smaller Lauri Markkanen but in this game the way he played offensively reminded me most of one of his teammates: Obi Toppin, with his shot diet of dunks and 3s.
Furphy was a menace in transition, leaked out for transition opportunities that beat the defense down the floor, finished designed plays for alley oops, made well-timed cuts to the rim, showed off his athleticism, and took open 3-pointers. All that was missing was an Eastbay between the legs dunk on one of his finishes at the rim. He finished with 18 points (7 for 14), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks.
“I felt more confident definitely,” Furphy said after the game. “Feeling out the pace of the game and getting adjusted to the physicality of the game but I did feel more comfortable today.”
Furphy’s not known for self creation but his most impressive bucket of the game came late in the shot clock as he was forced to make something happen off the dribble with a crossover, stepback from top of the key that he splashed nothing but net.
We saw his second lob finish on a pass from fellow rookie Tristen Newton in two games on a designed ATO where Furphy sets a screen for the ball handler as the first screener of two then, flows straight toward the rim as Dakota Mathias comes up to set a back screen. Fun design.
Furphy’s only miss from inside the arc came on a heady play at the end of the third quarter where his deep 3-pointer was blocked but he didn’t give up on the play and quickly caught the rebound and was able to get off another attempt on the catch. While he was only 2 for 8 from deep, he was toes on the line away from 3 for 9 and the types of threes he took were encouraging with quick triggers off the catch in transition and making one above the break in addition to one in the corner. His first basket came from him attacking a closeout with a nice layup driving from the corner as well.
“I’m always looking to stay aggressive. My mindset in these games is to be aggressive as possible,” Furphy said, “and try to rebound and defend.”
Defensively, he really battled and repeatedly got his hands on the ball to force turnovers. One play where he poked the ball away from the ball handler led to a transition opportunity where he earned a trip to the free throw line. He got another steal on a post-entry pass where the opponent tried posting up the slim forward. He contested shots well, blocking two of them. There was one play in the second half where he did a great job forcing a miss in the paint but then tried to run back on the other end instead of boxing out before his team had gathered the rebound (also sounds a little like Toppin). His matchup ended up gathering his own miss and scoring easily. Furphy did rebound well overall with 7 boards.
“I thought the game slowed down for him,” Pargo said. “… He’s a kid that knows how to play the game and he’s adapted to our style of play very quickly.” Pargo said he’s been impressed with his “ability to process information, retain information, and bring it out to the floor.”
Jarace Walker – B–
Walker was awesome behind the arc, hitting 5 of his 11 3-pointers with multiple of them coming off the dribble. His jump shot continues to look leagues better than where it was at last summer. That’s where all 15 of his points came from as he went 0 for 3 from inside the arc and wasn’t able to find the same opportunities inside as he did in the initial game.
Walker did do well with fighting for rebounds as he finished with eight. Defensively, it was good to see him want the challenge of trying to guard rookie Rob Dillingham after he got off to a quick start for the Wolves. It didn’t always go well on those possessions as Walker got caught on many screens trying to chase the quick guard but it was good that he wanted the most difficult matchup.
Walker’s passing continues to pop as he finished with four assists. I enjoy how much he looks for shooters like Ben Sheppard and Furphy, dropping it off to them in transition, not wasting a chance to zip a skip pass to the corner if one of them is open.
He cut down his turnovers to three from seven in the first game but still had some bad ones with one coming on a pass that was a little late and a little slow to an open Furphy in the paint and another where he tried to squeeze one in transition but it was easily caught by first defender in the path.
I’m still not sure the Pacers are seeing the level of energy and hard play with consistency that they want from Walker. He casually jogs back on defense often. One play late in the game where he didn’t get a foul call on a mid-range fadeaway. His defender stared at him as they both stood there for a few seconds as the ball made its way down the other end of the floor. Eventually there was a scramble for the ball at the rim with multiple players on the floor and that same defender ended up gathering the ball and scoring. Walker never got back.
Walker’s super talented and has a lot of valuable skills but right now he’s fighting for the 10th spot in the rotation. He played 35 of the 40 minutes in this game so it may be a matter of increased conditioning being needed but you’d like to see the type of full throttle effort that comes from Sheppard or Enrique Freeman occasionally from the lottery pick.
Enrique Freeman – A-
Freeman scored 14 points while making all five of his shot attempts. He showed his willingness to take the 3-point shot with making one at the top of the key while being fouled for a 4-point play. He drove past Leonard Miller for a layup. Finished dump offs inside either on the roll or from the dunker’s spot. He’s a fun, energetic player. He ended with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist.
It wasn’t perfect; he got lost on defense a few times in this one (who doesn’t in this setting?) but the former walk-on at Akron that was heavily encouraged by his mom to tryout looks poised for one of the Pacers 2-way contract spots at minimum.
Oscar Tshiebwe – C+
We saw more of the limitations of Tshiebwe in this game after he racked up a large box score night in the summer opener. He added 4 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, and a steal in his 16 minutes in this one.
He was limited to 16 minutes because of Freeman’s effectiveness and because he was getting abused on defense a bit. This was a tougher matchup for Tshiebwe with the Wolves not really playing a traditional center and the opponent put him into the pick and roll as the screener’s defender often early with Dillingham finding his offense and others on a few consecutive plays. Tshiebwe’s not a switch defender and can’t really play drop coverage super well with limited rim protection. Freeman provides much more versatility as a defender for a big.
He was also unable to handle a few passes inside that resulted in turnovers for the passer. Even without a traditional center for the Wolves, Tshiebwe found it more difficult to finish inside in this one as he went just 1 for 5 from the floor.
That’s not to say that Tshiebwe didn’t still have some great plays. He had one steal on an in-bounds pass where he was able to finish the breakaway chance with a smooth crossover into the paint with the layup and the foul.
Later he scooped the ball up after Furphy got a steal and effectively ran the fast break opportunity with a couple dribbles and a perfectly timed pass to Furphy for the layup attempt where he was fouled. Tshiebwe continues to make some nice passes as he finished with 3 assists.
Quenton Jackson – B
Jackson rebounded nicely in game two after his nightmarish opener. He made all four of his shot attempts for 11 points, added four assists, and only had two turnovers in this game in his 15 minutes. While Jackson still started, the Pacers clearly wanted to give Tristen Newton more of an opportunity after he only played 7 minutes in the first game but Jackson played well in his 15 minutes, looking much more under control. He made a pair of 3-pointers, one in each half. One that rattled in and out and back in and another on a broken play where Walker nearly got stripped that found its way to him that was nothing but net. He also had a nice take to the basket where he was able to finish through contact to get the bucket as well. He got hung up trying to navigate through screens often early which compounded the issues the defense was having with Tshiebwe being unable to switch.
Tristen Newton – C
I liked a lot of what Newton did on the floor on his way to 7 assists. The big point guard‘s positional size at 6’5” allows passes like the alley oop to Furphy look super easy with how he can see over top the defense. His drive into the paint to find a cutting Furphy was awesome as well.
He had a well executed drive and kick to Ben Sheppard for a corner 3 late in the game. He had multiple assists while falling down but still able to get the ball where it needed to be including a rolling Freeman for two and one of Walker’s triples. A small play that I enjoyed was him making himself available when a teammate desperately needed an outlet and he cut into open space and was able to get the offense a shot out of a possession that looked like it was destined for a turnover.
His one made basket came on a hustle play for an offensive rebound where he finished through contact. It feels like he does a lot of winning things which makes sense for the national champion from UConn.
His grade would be higher but he missed all three of his 3-pointers as he went just 1 of 6 overall and had seven turnovers including a really bad pick six.
Ben Sheppard – B-
Once again, this just isn’t the ideal setting for Sheppard but he did add 10 points, 3 rebounds, and an assist. He made 3 of his 7 shots including a pair of 3-pointers and played solid defense. I don’t have a ton to say about the second-year guard from Belmont. We’ve seen what he can do with the Pacers roster and how well he fits. I’m not sure what he’s getting from playing in Vegas.
Dakota Mathias – A
Mathias was really good and showed off his movement shooting in this one as he went 4 for 5 from deep and got fouled on another attempt as he added 15 points in 14 minutes. Just some really impressive shot-making all game for the Purdue alum as he showed off his NBA-level experience.
Kendall Brown – D
This was the nothing can go right game for Brown whose two consecutive possessions from the same corner summed up his game as he stepped out of bounds while attempting to drive for an open dunk on the first and then got his shot blocked on the second. Brown scored four points (1 for 5), with three assists, two rebounds, and four turnovers. He does show some flashes of great passing as he found Freeman with a nice pass off his drive for a layup and a couple of his turnovers appeared to be miscommunications. Not a performance to remember for Brown as he tries to stay on the roster with his non-guaranteed contract. Even with his struggles, he was one of only two Pacers with a positive +/- in this game as he led the team at +5.
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