The Indiana Pacers were able to win their first game out in Las Vegas for Summer League against the Phoenix Suns by a final of 98-94.
The game was a rough watch at times as the Summer Pacers continued to struggle with initiating the offense and had 17 first-half turnovers but they played well in the second half to make a comeback and earn their first victory of the week.
Ben Sheppard is done for the week as he did not play on his birthday but everyone else on the roster remained active so let’s dive right into the process of grading each player’s performance.
Jarace Walker – B+
Walker somewhat surprisingly was still playing in game three as he started this one at shooting guard in order to have more opportunities to guard smaller, quicker players according to Jannero Pargo after the game.
Walker’s versatility has seen him play at every position from last summer league through his rookie season to now. He played point guard in garbage time during the NBA playoffs on multiple occasions and often has been the lead ballhandler in summer league, started at shooting guard yesterday, played small forward in the first two games this week and occasionally during the regular season, power forward has generally been thought of as his primary position since being drafted, and he’s sparingly played some as a small-ball five including in his first summer league. It’s impressive for Walker to have the tools to find a way to contribute wherever he’s been placed on the floor and is encouraging that he could find a way to plug a hole just about anywhere in the rotation if an injury occurred.
This was by far his most efficient game of the summer as he scored 19 points on only seven shots, continuing to show off his improved shot-making while hitting 4 of 5 3-pointers.
Walker did once again struggle with turnovers with 8 including multiple late in the game and while some of these are poor decisions, it’s also just been the state of the entire roster all week as they attempt to replicate the frenetic pace and random, flow game of the Pacers. Walker’s playmaking still stood out from the first play of the game as he drove inside on the pick and roll, saw the extra defender coming into the game and immediately sent the skip pass to the corner for an open Johnny Furphy triple. He had a well-timed pass to Oscar Tshiebwe in transition that gifted the rebounding machine a dunk and hit Furphy with a lob on a broken play. He finished with five assists but could have had a few more if some shots went in.
Walker’s playmaking is still more likely to show up with the Pacers as a passer in the short roll or from the free throw line against a zone or simply making quick passes against a rotating defense rather than as the primary initiator as he often has been in summer league and with the Mad Ants. But his passing continues to be the thing I like most about his game, though his shot-making has been gaining ground in that area.
Defensively, he got much better in the second half as a play in the first half stood out in a bad way where he was easily beat off the dribble and then gambled badly for a steal from behind, giving up an easy layup. While there were still multiple occasions where Walker didn’t rush back on defense in transition (he’s leading the summer league in minutes per game and at times conserves energy like an old LeBron), he did have an excellent chasedown block on one play to prevent a bucket and his quick hands resulted in a breakaway dunk for Tshiebwe on one play. He got doubled on the deciding possession of the game and whipped a pass to Kendall Brown in the corner who quickly swung it to Furphy for the clinching 3-pointer as the shot clock expired with 15 seconds left to put Pacers up 5.
I’m guessing that this will be the last of Walker in Vegas. While he clearly has a much higher ceiling than Sheppard, Ben’s consistent effort and energy on both ends may be what the coaching staff looks for in one those final rotation spots. We’ll see where the rotation stands in training camp and preseason.
Johnny Furphy – B+
Furphy admitted that was feeling fatigued in his third game but the second-round pick continued his strong showing overall as he put up 18 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and a block in 33 minutes. While he made just 6 of his 17 shots, he made a serviceable 4 for 11 from deep with multiple makes off of movement rather than solely from standstill catch and shoot opportunities. One where he came off an excellent screen from Enrique Freeman to get open in the corner.
And his game clinching dagger was an impressive no dip shot from the wing as the shot clock threatened to not allow him enough time to get his shot off.
Furphy had a few rough moments early on defense where he fell down on one play that eventually led to an easy lob for the opponent and another where he was badly beat backdoor but he’s not lacking for effort on that end and continues to rack up stocks. It’s really hard to see his immediate path to playing time at the moment but he continues to look like the Pacers are pleased to have a player they didn’t expect to be able to draft in the second round.
Tristen Newton – B-
Newton couldn’t get anything to fall in this game but despite missing his first eight shots he remained aggressive and earned 8 free throw attempts and made them all. He finished with 10 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals, and a block with only two turnovers.
His lone bucket came late in the game where he finished a drive with scoop shot and a foul inside. A couple of his misses that just bounced out were cleaned up by Tshiebwe for buckets. One of his steals came on a pass to the corner where he able to save the ball and then push it up the floor to initiate the transition chance that led to the Tshiebwe dunk mentioned in Walker’s section.
Enrique Freeman – B
Freeman had his worst offensive game of the week while starting as the power forward next to Tshiebwe with 5 points on 2 of 6 shooting but continued to show his improved range as he made 1 of 2 threes on a pick and pop from Newton and took a corner three with confidence on a pass from Walker. He had his best rebounding performance with 9. He’s closed each of the last two games at the 5 over Tshiebwe thanks to his defense. His energy and effort continue to be a bright spot. He hustled back on one Pacers turnover enough to put pressure on the opposing player to cause him to lose the ball as he went up for his shot. An unforced error but one that may not happen if the player is free to take his time on the break. His screening shined in this game, getting others open multiple times throughout the game with hard set screens.
Quenton Jackson – B
Jackson has played well in each of the last two games after really struggling in the opener. He finished with 8 points (3 of 4) and 6 assists with 3 turnovers. He hit a corner three and has a burst with the ball that is unmatched on this roster when it’s under control.
Oscar Tshiebwe – B+
Tshiebwe excelled as a play finisher in his minutes, knocking down a baseline jumper, had a nice lefty hook off a spin inside. He finished with 16 points (7 of 9), 4 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Kendall Brown – B
Brown finished with 10 points (4 of 9), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He was the only Pacers player to come off the bench and end with a positive +/- in this game. I continue to like his passing, especially in transition. He’s probably been passed by Furphy in the pecking order as it becomes increasingly unlikely that he’ll see real minutes on this Pacers roster but there’s an NBA player here.
Dakota Mathias – B+
Middy Mathias hit four mid-range jumpers in this game and scored during some stretches where it felt like offense was an impossible task for the Summer Pacers in the second quarter. You can see why he has some NBA experience, the movement shooting is real. He hit a big three in the fourth quarter where he moved up to the wing from the corner and calmly knocked it down. If the Pacers weren’t already packed with competition for these 2-way spots, you could see Mathias making a run for one of them.
Samson Froling (D) – I don’t want to be too harsh on Froling in his first minutes over these three games but he just looked far too slow and seemed to lack the athleticism to compete at this level. His time on the floor did not go well. He had one point, one rebound, and two turnovers in 7 minutes.
Josiah Jordan-James – INC played three minutes and grabbed a rebound. The former high-school teammate of Aaron Nesmith didn’t stand out in either a positive or negative way to me.
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