Team USA easily won their exhibition contest against Argentina tonight with a final score of 111-74. Kevin Durant led the team in scoring with 23 points, while the Pacers Paul George added 18 points on 7 for 11 shooting with 2 rebounds, 1 assist and 2 steals.
Coach K has been very impressed with George’s performance through the process.
While they were forcing Robinson to face his fear of heights, he attempted a trick shot from that high distance. It did not go like all those YouTube videos of trick shots that edit out attempts that go like this one. Continue reading Dude, GR3 ain’t Perfect when it comes to trick shots→
Myles Turner seems poised for a huge second season with Larry Bird complimenting his progress and new teammate Al Jefferson as a mentor, and now he’s showing off his improvement while scrimmaging against the Olympic roster for USA with the Select Team.
Yesterday, he blocked his own teammate Paul George on a drive to the rim. George even gives his teammate a little pat to say nice job after the play.
“I think just getting the invite alone is something that automatically comes with your game elevating,” George said last month. “You take that as he’s one of the best young prospects coming up. He’s only going to get better.”
George’s words before the event seem to be true already. Today, Marc Spears of ESPN and Ethan Strauss both commented on his superb play in the scrimmage.
Turner was noted with a stuff of DeMarcus Cousins (already a member of the Myles High Club) and then hitting a three at the other end by Strauss.
Myles Turner looks fantastic in this scrimmage. Stuffed a Cousins post up, then drained a 3 https://t.co/n5YDfkh3lE
Turner adding a little extra range to his shot would be huge for spacing in the offense and more importantly the block coming on a post up against one of the toughest players to guard down low is a very encouraging sign for his post defense next year.
Turner’s clearly taking advantage of his opportunity to play against some of the best talent in the NBA. He was very excited for the chance to improve before the camp started.
“I approach each day with a different goal in mind,” said Turner of his offseason to the Indy Star. “What can I get accomplished that day, and I don’t leave until I get the goal accomplished. I’m very focused and dedicated to where I want to go and where I want to be one day.”
George told the Indy Star that he believes that Turner’s work ethic and desire to improve will lead to future All Star appearances and noted his efforts to improve his body and movement.
The sky’s the limit for Turner with his tireless work ethic and an already large amount of talent. Pacers fans can look forward to many more players becoming members of the Myles High Club through the years.
Benchwarmers? Role players? Starters? All Stars? MVPs?
This list will be constantly updated after every Pacers game to show the most recent members list of the Myles High Club (every player Myles Turner has blocked so far). It’s an exclusive group filled with All-Stars, MVPs, and even some of his current teammates.
Turner currently sits 4th in all-time blocks on the Pacers leaderboard with 1,001 blocks. The following lists include his 55 playoff blocks as well.
The Pacers signing of Al Jefferson to a 3-year, $30 million contract might be the best thing they could have done for their future star Myles Turner.
Professor Al meet your student.
“As far as helping younger players,” said Jefferson, “that’s just part of my DNA.” Like Turner, Jefferson came into the NBA as a 19-year-old rookie, and Jefferson’s always been eager to repay the favor of veterans teaching him at the beginning of his career.
Asked Bird about Jefferson’s mentoring of Myles Turner, and if he believes that’s overblown
Pacers officially announced the acquisitions of Thaddeus Young, Jeff Teague, and Jeremy Evans earlier today and each player had to choose a new number from the one worn the previous season.
Thad Young will rock the former number of David West, during his Pacers time with number 21. His former number with the Nets (30) is retired in honor of ABA great George McGinnis.
The Pacers fell to the Pistons in their third game of Summer League play after a late rally fell short as Joe Young’s tying layup attempt somehow bounced out, 80-76. Their record is now 1-2.
More important than the results of a very entertaining, but meaningless game, a couple of the Pacers young players played very well with challenging matchups.
And here's an early look at the top performers from the Orlando Summer League as well. Again, very small sample size pic.twitter.com/BSPxTNotSF
Glenn Robinson III was up against the Pistons previous first-round pick and defensive stalwart Stanley Johnson. GR3 put up 20 points and 7 rebounds, while going back and forth matching bucket for bucket with Johnson in the closing minutes of the game.
Born Ready may become Reborn Ready soon. Nate Taylor of the Indy Star reports that Lance Stephenson is considering a return to the Pacers as he mulls offers from multiple teams. Both sides appear to be interested in the possible reunion.
Lance Stephenson is considering a few teams. The #Pacers, who are are 1 of them, have shown interest in a reunion.
Stephenson has played for three teams since turning down the Pacers 5 year, $44 million deal just two years ago. After a challenging year with the Hornets, he was traded to the Clippers. The Clippers then traded him during last season to the injury-riddled Grizzlies where Stephenson started to find his groove as a player again. He averaged over 14 points per game while with Memphis, but the team declined his $9.4 million team option which made him an unrestricted free agent. Continue reading Lance Stephenson considering a return to the Pacers→
In a sluggish, whistle-filled game, the Pacers Summer League squad lost to the Hornets 80-70. Glenn Robinson III and Shayne Whittington were the only double-digit scorers for the Pacers as the team seemed to struggle offensively against a more physical opponent than yesterday’s game. The first half was hard to watch as it was dominated by officiating. You know it’s a bad sign in the Summer League when the refs are a topic of conversation for the broadcast team. If you missed the analysis and highlights from Game 1, they are here. Much more positive notes to take from that game than this one.
Joe Young: 6 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block, 0 turnovers in 22 minutes. (2 of 6 from field, 0 of 2 from 3-point range)
Yesterday, there were some rumblings from unreliable sources and today Marc Stein of ESPN has reported that the Pacers and Kings have discussed a potential deal that would send Rudy Gay to the Pacers.
ESPN sources say Sacramento and Indiana have had recent trade discussions involving Kings F Rudy Gay potentially sending him to the Pacers
The Pacers couldn’t have asked for a much better showing from their five-rostered players in their first Summer League game as they combined for 75 points in the blowout win over the Orlando Blue, 93-66. Keep reading for a look at each of those player’s performances and some highlights.
Joe Young: 22 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 5 turnovers (8 of 12 from the field, 5 of 7 from 3-point territory)
The Indiana Pacers have made some noise in free agency. According to Woj, the Pacers have agreed in principle to a deal with veteran center Al Jefferson on a 3 year, $30 million deal.
Al Jefferson has agreed in principle to a three-year, $30M deal with Indiana, league source tells @TheVertical.
Jefferson will immediately give the Pacers a post-scoring threat off the bench at the center position. Last season, the 31-year-old Jefferson averaged 12 points and 6 rebounds in only 23 minutes per game. Injuries have been an issue for him recently as he was limited to only 47 games last year. If you’re unfamiliar with Jefferson’s game, prepare yourself for a plethora of impressively effective pump fakes and slow moving post moves. Continue reading Pacers & Al Jefferson agree in principle to 3-year, $30 million deal→
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports that the Pacers and Timberwolves have expressed interest in Willie Reed. You may be thinking, “Who?” So, let me fill you in.
Indiana and Minnesota have expressed interest in unrestricted FA Willie Reed, per sources. Why he could be a steal: https://t.co/YlFP3s2Asu
Kennedy sees Reed as a potential steal in free agency, and the numbers back him up. In Reed’s first year in the NBA, his per 36 minutes numbers were outstanding: 15.4 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks. His PER is a terrific 19.2 and has a positive Net Rating (+8) and On/Off rating (+0.4). Continue reading Pacers express an interest in Willie Reed→
The Indiana Pacers announced their roster for the Orlando Summer League earlier this week. The roster features many familiar faces including five players likely to suit up for the blue and gold next season and will be coached by Popeye Jones, Pacers assistant coach. The team will play five games that will run through the heart of the NBA free agency madness from July 2 through July 8 (Pacers schedule below). No one’s playing in the Summer League without something to prove and we’ll look at what some of the key players on the roster need to work on. Continue reading Pacers Summer League Preview→
The Pacers have already had a busy offseason: adding two starters in Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young before the NBA draft. These two likely starters will most likely be the biggest moves Larry Bird and the Pacers make in preparation for the 2016-2017 season. They have two remaining spots on their roster available if they plan to sign second-round pick, Georges Niang. ICYMI: Here’s an in-depth analysis on what the Pacers are likely to do with their own free agents. I recommend reading that post before this one.
Depending on whether the Pacers decide to keep any of their free agents, they are generally seen to have anywhere from $12 – 20 million in cap space (depending on whether or not they want to keep Ian Mahinmi) to spend on the last two roster spots and a potential renegotiation of the newly acquired Teague’s contract. While the Pacers could look to trade one of their ball dominant guards (Monta Ellis, Rodney Stuckey), nothing has indicated to this point that is part of Bird’s plan. During his post-draft press conference, Kevin Pritchard, the Pacers General Manager and second in command to Bird, mentioned how the Pacers see other teams having success by always having four or five playmakers on the court at all times. Bird likely sees both Ellis and Stuckey as key pieces that the Pacers will need for their plan to fill the court with playmakers. I could go on and on about the potential pitfalls here for the Pacers, so that’s another post for another day. For the sake of this article, I will assume the Pacers are not planning on trading away any of their current pieces. (I’m sure since I wrote this that Bird will quickly trade away someone before free agency even starts.)
Since the Pacers have only a max of about $20 million in cap room, we can immediately cross off the cream of the crop in this free agency class: Kevin Durant, Nicolas Batum, Al Horford, and Mike Conley. The Pacers likely never had much of a chance at any of these guys anyway despite awesome hashtags like #KevINDYrant. They will not be discussed here as viable options. One other thing that should be known about the Pacers: they do not go after restricted free agents (RFA) per the owner’s policy. So, going after young guys just coming off of their rookie contracts like Allen Crabbe, Evan Fournier, Troy Daniels, etc. will not be an option for Bird and the Pacers due to this organizational limitation.
With the Pacers starting lineup likely set barring another trade,– Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, Paul George, Thaddeus Young and Myles Turner– the Pacers will be looking for players that can fill specific bench roles with their last two spots on the roster. Here are some options (both good and bad): Continue reading Potential Free Agent Targets for the Pacers→
Indiana Pacers announced who all will be on Nate McMillan’s coaching staff. Defensive guru Dan Burke and Popeye Jones both will return, while McMillan adds Bill Bayno as his top assistant. Bayno and McMillman worked together during nearly all of McMillan’s time as a head coach with the Portland Trailblazers.
USA Basketball officially announced its roster for the 2016 Rio Olympics early this morning. Here’s a look at the 12-man roster that includes Indiana Pacers star Paul George:
They’ve also reassigned each player a number from 1-15 per tradition of USA Basketball (also might be a rule of Olympics for all teams). So, what number did Paul George, who was wearing 29 when working out with Olympic team in the past, pick or get assigned? 13 of course, and the jerseys are 🔥🔥🔥 (fire for those of you without emojis). Continue reading Paul George will still be PG-13 with USA Basketball→
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