Indiana Pacers star guard Victor Oladipo wants to be in the Space Jam sequel.
“Yes, let’s start a campaign,” said Oladipo at media day when asked about his desire to be a Monstar in the LeBron James-led Space Jam sequel. “Let’s make this happen. I would be a crazy Monstar. I think that would be pretty dope.”
I think I should! I would make a great monstar! What y’all think? Should we start a campaign? https://t.co/cXvhqvrlg6
Oladipo wants a campaign. Let’s give him a campaign.
It may have helped his case if he said one of the four movies he watched every night before going to sleep was Space Jam instead of Home Alone 1 & 2, Shrek or Mulan, but I digress.
Victor Oladipo on his pregame ritual: he watches one of four movies before bed every night
The Indiana Pacers greatest strength last season may have been their chemistry and to this point it looks like it’s only improved over the offseason.
“You know it when you see it,” Myles Turner said of the team’s chemistry after the first training camp practice. “You just feel it.”
Indiana hasn’t played a game yet and you can feel it already. Whether it’s the above picture from media day with most of the returning players laughing together or Bojan Bogdanovic giving Victor Oladipo a huge hug when he first saw him.
📺 🏀WATCH:
“We can beat anybody in the NBA. Don’t know how we stack up w/ them, but I just feel like we can beat anyone.” – @VicOladipo at #Pacers Media day.
(But the best part of my story is for sure the screengrab of @44Bojan giving Vic the biggest hug upon seeing him.) pic.twitter.com/8q0PX6EcrV
Last season was the first year the majority of the team had been with the Pacers as they quickly grew a unique bond. With most of the core contributors returning from last year’s roster, Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard thinks those relationships will continue to grow.
Myles Turner put in work this summer to be ready for this upcoming season with the Indiana Pacers.
Whether he was doing yoga with Domantas Sabonis, working on his strength in the weight room, boxing on a gym floor, playing 1-on-1 after team USA practice with Kevin Durant, Paul George, Devin Booker and Victor Oladipo or showing off some impressive skills in pick-up games with Monta Ellis, that much has been clear; he’s been productive this offseason.
Now, it’s almost time to see how his labors will translate to the court as training camp quickly approaches.
Last year at this time, it was widely expected that Turner would be set for a much bigger role offensively, but Oladipo became a superstar while Turner’s statistical output per game went down in almost all categories as he struggled to find a rhythm through a series of small injuries while playing less minutes per game than in his second season.
The deal with the Brave Dragons isn’t finalized yet but it’s likely that three members of the Indiana Pacers 2017-18 roster will be playing in China next season.
The Indiana Pacers have filled their remaining 2-way contract slot with a wing with some NBA experience in C.J. Wilcox.
Wilcox played for the Pacers in Las Vegas during Summer League and shot the ball very well throughout the team’s five games. He averaged 9.2 points per game and shot 56% from the floor.
He has three seasons of NBA playing experience and 66 games played in the NBA overall between time spent with the Clippers and Magic. He’s played sparingly every season and averages just 2 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game in his career. Continue reading Indiana Pacers add C.J. Wilcox with 2-way contract→
Adrian Wojnarowski reports that the Indiana Pacers and Nate McMillan are finalizing a contract extension. McMillan has one year remaining on his contract currently.
ESPN story on Pacers coach Nate McMillan agreeing on a contract extension. https://t.co/H75d2ibm29
Joe Young has decided to go to China next season and will play for the Nanjing Tongxi Basketball Club.
Joseph Young (@JoeyBuckets3), former Yates High School star and @Pacers guard, finalizing a one-year, $1.3+ million contract to play in China for the Nanjing Tongxi Basketball club: "I'm taking my talent to China." pic.twitter.com/Pnr6EwrGZQ
On his most recent podcast, JJ Redick said that he was very close to joining the Indiana Pacers in free agency.
“I almost signed with Indy,” Redick said. “I was an hour away, maybe two hours away … I had a whole conversation with Nate McMillan.”
Redick said that his current team the Philadelphia 76ers changed their offer before a deadline he had to decide on a deal with Indiana and he decided to stay put.
JJ Redick: “I almost signed with Indy. I was an hour away, two hours away, I was very close. I had a 5:00 PM deadline… it was 12:30, 1:00 in the afternoon when Philly changed the offer… I had a whole conversation with Nate McMillan.”
Hibbert, 31, didn’t play last season and his name hasn’t popped up in rumor mills all offseason. He last played in the NBA during the 2016-17 season for the Denver Nuggets.
Johnson, the 50th overall pick, looked good in Las Vegas Summer League, showing his relentless nature on the glass, ability to guard multiple positions and talent in transition. He averaged 12.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game in Vegas. Continue reading Alize Johnson signs deal with Indiana Pacers→
Rodney Stuckey is trying to get back into the NBA.
Stuckey is hosting a private workout for teams in Las Vegas according to ESPN’s Chris Haynes.
ESPN Sources: Rodney Stuckey, who is seeking an NBA comeback, will host a private workout on Thursday in Las Vegas with several NBA teams in attendance.
Stuckey was out of the NBA all last season and hasn’t been picked up since the Indiana Pacers waived him after an injury, which cleared the way for Lance Stephenson to make his return at the time. Continue reading Rodney Stuckey attempts an NBA comeback→
The Indiana Pacers fell in the first-round of the Las Vegas Summer League to the Atlanta Hawks. After building up a 27-point lead early in the third quarter, the Hawks slowly chipped away at the Pacers lead until suddenly it was gone. Trae Young finished them off with some ridiculous passes to keep holding the Atlanta lead down the stretch.
The Pacers will have a single remaining consolation game on Friday against the Brooklyn Nets at 4 p.m.
This was easily the most entertaining game for the Summer Pacers, even with the disappointing ending, with many players having their best games in Las Vegas.
The Indiana Pacers were defeated by the Cleveland Cavaliers in their third game in Las Vegas and fell to 1-2 in group play in the Summer League.
Today’s matchup was all about a pair of first-round draft picks with Collin Sexton, the 8th overall pick, and Aaron Holiday, the 23rd pick, going after each other on numerous occasions.
Point guard battle-
Aaron Holiday: 12/5/8/3/1 on 4/14 shooting with 8 TOVs Collin Sexton: 21/0/4/0/0 on 9/17 shooting with 4 TOVs
For the second consecutive game, Holiday really struggled from the field. He hit only 4 of his 14 attempts and is now shooting only 36% over the three games.
He looked motivated to perform well against a player drafted higher than him in the first round in Sexton and held his own, going back and forth with him on occasion.
Sexton blew by Holiday multiple times after the first quarter but Holiday did offer some resistance to him early on, blocking a shot, deflecting a pass and forcing a couple missed attempts. He seemed to be more attentive off the ball compared to the previous game.
Aaron Holiday's size will obviously always be an issue but his quick hands and long arms just about make up for it #Pacerspic.twitter.com/jFLRGVUB3T
Holiday had 8 assists but he also tallied 8 turnovers. Multiple times he fell to the ground and lost control of the ball and a few more were poor passes that were overthrown.
He still showed some tantalizing flashes of real NBA potential but he’s got plenty to work on. During this rookie year, he’ll need to pay real close attention to Darren Collison and how he takes care of the ball.
Johnson continues to impress with his high motor and looks like a player deserving of a roster spot. He ended the game with 16 points (6 of 11 from the field) and 7 rebounds. He hit his first 3-pointer of Summer League play from the corner, a shot that could be crucial to his long-term development.
Johnson made some impressive plays once again on both ends of the court. He continues to show the ability to switch onto guards and stay in front of them on defense. Today, he forced a turnover from Sexton and then finished the ensuing fastbreak with an and-1 bucket.
He also showed that he still has a long ways to go. A defender stopped him in the backcourt on one of his grab-and-go rebounds and forced a turnover by sitting on his right hand. Johnson will have to develop his left-hand to have success at the next level as NBA scouting reports will make it well known quickly about his inability to use the off hand.
“He’s not there yet,” said Kevin Pritchard who praised his ability to always be in on the rebound during the broadcast, “but I really like his determination to get the ball.”
He also took a few ill-advised shots in the halfcourt offense including a fadeaway and floater that both badly missed. Overall though, it was another positive performance for the second-round pick.
Leaf scored 20 points but needed 21 shots to get to that mark against the Cavaliers. He continues to struggle from the 3-point line, coming up short on numerous attempts and only making one attempt in garbage time.
He made a few of his usual nice drives and hit a few shots in the post, showing more patience than in the first game.
Leaf also added 2 blocks and 9 rebounds. This was probably his best defensive game though his pick-and-roll coverage is still a work in progress.
Sumner had his best game in Las Vegas and had a few really nice offensive moments. He scored 14 points and made 6 of his 11 shot attempts. He added a pair of assists and steals.
He hit multiple jump shots and looked confident pulling up from 3 at the end of a quarter. He went 2 for 3 from behind the arc overall.
Alex Poythress has a nice quiet game with some solid energy moments and defensive plays. He finished with 7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal.
Ben Moore hit all three of his shots from the floor as he made timely cuts and showed some aggression in his limited chances with drives to the basket. He finished with 9 points and 4 rebounds. He could easily end up with another 2-way contract this season.
According to J. Michael of the IndyStar, the Indiana Pacers are looking to give Nate McMillan a contract extension now that their roster construction for next season is essentially finished.
With a lot of key free agency business taken care of, #Pacers have pivoted towards contract extension talks with coach Nate McMillan, I'm told.
Michael reports that nothing is imminent but that it seems a “foregone conclusion” that it’ll happen. McMillan has one year remaining on his original contract with the Pacers that began after he was hired to replace Frank Vogel.
McMillan has a long history with Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard going back to their days with the Portland Trail Blazers where they held the same positions.
There doesn't appear to be anything imminent regarding a new deal for McMillan but based on what I'm told by league sources I dont expect this to be dragged out or take a lot of wrangling. It seems a foregone conclusion (and should be) it'll get done #Pacers
“We’ve been together a long time,” said Pritchard, who got choked up talking about McMillan at the end-of-the-season press conference. “We’ve had our disagreements. He’s evolving as a coach and I am proud to have him as a partner.”
With McMillan at the helm, many veteran Pacers had the best seasons of their careers last year including Victor Oladipo, Bojan Bogdanovic and Darren Collison.
For Oladipo, McMillan will be the first coach that he’s had for two full seasons in his NBA career. He recently told a story about McMillan telling him to “become more of an a******” if he wanted to be great.
McMillan’s record over his first two seasons in Indiana is 90-74 (0.548). He has previously coached with both the Seattle Supersonics and Blazers.
With additions of Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, Kyle O’Quinn and Aaron Holiday, the Indiana Pacers roster is almost filled with 13 players under contract currently. And second-round pick Alize Johnson seems likely to become the 14th soon with his strong Summer League play.
They also have two 2-way contracts to fill with one spot filled currently by Edmond Sumner. Johnson could possibly fill that slot instead of an NBA roster spot as well.
Pacers Summer League Game 2 Grades:
Alize Johnson and Ben Moore stand out. TJ Leaf finds his offensive rhythm. Aaron Holiday struggles from field but some positives as well.
The subtractions from the team include Lance Stephenson, Al Jefferson, Joe Young, and recently waived Alex Poythress.
Here’s a look at the projected starters and rotation as it stands today.
Point guard
Darren Collison
Cory Joseph
Aaron Holiday
Shooting guard
Victor Oladipo
Tyreke Evans
Small forward
Bojan Bogdanovic
Doug McDermott
Power forward
Thaddeus Young
T.J. Leaf
Alize Johnson
Center:
Myles Turner
Domantas Sabonis
Kyle O’Quinn
Ike Anigbogu
A lot less roster turnover than the last few years for the Pacers. The entire starting lineup looks like it’ll be back next season to see if they can pick up where they left off in a surprising campaign.
Kevin Pritchard and company added a lot of depth without losing many rotation players. Evans should give the team the secondary playmaker that it desperately needed last season, especially when Oladipo was out.
Kevin Pritchard introduces Tyreke Evans and Doug McDermott…says the Pacers like “overlooked and unloved” says if season goes the way he believes it can, current players will be 2019 free agent priorities.
O’Quinn should be a lot more playable than Jefferson was and be a valuable third center. It seems he may see a lot of time at power forward alongside Turner or Sabonis if McMillan goes that route. Leaf was expected to play minutes next season but his defense still is struggling against guys in the Summer League. He might already be penciling O’Quinn in as the second power forward.
McDermott with the Thunder and O’Quinn with the Magic are both former teammates of Oladipo and of each other with the Knicks and should be good additions to the team’s chemistry.
Kyle O’Quinn and Doug McDermott have some nice chemistry. They connected on plays like this often with the Knicks. pic.twitter.com/qNVP0GkBYt
The rookies lay in waiting but may surprise if they get a chance to play this year. Holiday, as the third point guard, is much more likely to find time than Johnson.
One of the more exciting aspects of the roster that is filled with possibilities of different 5-man groupings to finish the game.
Evans and Oladipo will likely share the floor often this year at the end of games, especially if Evans shooting percentages continue to trend upward. Three guard lineups with three of Collison, Joseph, Oladipo and Evans are likely to find utility during the season as well.
Need a defensive point guard at the end of the game? Here comes Joseph. Want to go small and really space the floor? How about a lineup of DC/Vic/Tyreke/Bojan/Turner that’s filled with guys that can shoot the 3?
Domas Sabonis is always capable of finishing games as well. It will be interesting to see whether the team will have more success this year than last when Turner and Sabonis share the court, a key thing to watch for the team’s future.
"I'm looking forward to seeing how this team comes together. You've got all kinds of combinations you can go to at the end of the game." pic.twitter.com/9XujHpgkws
It’ll be a fun challenge for Nate McMillan at the end of close games to figure out the right combinations every night depending on the matchup and whose playing well.
One spot remains open on the NBA roster (2 if the Pacers don’t guarantee Anigbogu’s contract later this month) but the Pacers can only offer minimum deals to anyone else looking to join the rising Eastern conference team. Ben Moore is one possibility currently with the team’s Summer League squad as well as for the team’s other 2-way contract. Poythress could still be in the mix and brought back as well or the Pacers could look to add a veteran similar to signing of Damien Wilkins last year.
The Indiana Pacers bounced back from a loss in their first game against the Houston Rockets in the Las Vegas Summer League and defeated the San Antonio Spurs today.
But once again, the results of the game don’t matter in the end. This is all about development and getting introduced to some young Pacers and some NBA hopefuls.
If you missed the grades from Game 1, you can find them here. Quality in some of the clips may be lacking in this one as there’s no great place to get individual plays from Summer League.
Holiday struggled from the field in this one, making only 3 of his 15 shot attempts and is now shooting 40% over the two games (12 of 30). He still showed off his nice shooting form on occassion this afternoon.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
Part of his struggles came at the rim trying to finish against some of the Spurs larger guards. This is something that he’ll have to continue to work on though it’s helpful that he’s able to finish with both hands, as he showed in the first game.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
Some of his best plays on the day, however, were passing the ball. He finished with 7 assists and was very adept at finding the right guy in transition and making the right pass in the half court.
He still occasionally made poor decisions on passes but lowered his turnovers from 6 in the first game down to 4 in the second. Some of the turnovers are bound to happen as a product of unfamiliarity with teammates in Vegas.
While Holiday is small, he also seems to be around for rebounds often, adding 7 more to his total today.
Defensively, it was a mixed bag. He was inconsistent with his ability to fight over screens and at times relaxed when he thought his work was done only for his man to be immediately involved in the play again.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
Alize Johnson: B+
Alize Johnson was probably the Pacers MVP of the second game. Yes, he only scored 10 points and grabbed 9 rebounds and made only 3 of his 11 shots, but he was a huge difference maker with his high motor and effort in the second half especially.
He was relentless on nearly every rebound. He had four offensive boards but added numerous extra possessions for the Pacers on plays he wasn’t credited with a rebound by just never giving up on the play.
His field goal percentage isn’t as bad as it seems as a few of those attempts he ended up rebounding himself and another was a full-court heave that he nearly made at the end of the first quarter. He did force a couple of bad shots when he tried to do a little too much.
Full write-up on Johnson coming soon but he continued to show great passing ability in transition after grabbing a defensive rebound to start the break, his offense looks farther along than expected, his high motor is as advertised and he can defend multiple positions well with his quick feet.
Alize Johnson helps on the roll man before getting back to his assignment (a guard), stays with him on the drive and blocks the shot.
It’s early, but he looks more and more like a player that deserves to be on the Pacers roster this season.
T.J. Leaf: B
This was the T.J. Leaf that we expected to see at Summer League. He led the team with 17 points and made 7 of his 13 shots. He showed a lot more patience from the beginning of the game compared to the first contest when he seemed to be forcing the action and rushing everything.
He made some really nice drives to the rim by attacking closeouts as seen below though he struggled to recognize when the defender would come up short and hesitated on taking a few open 3-pointers.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
He didn’t score after around the 7-minute mark in the third quarter.
On the defensive end, there wasn’t much to like about his performance. It’s unclear what Summer League coach Steve Gansey wants Leaf to do when defending a pick and roll but him playing back has been highly ineffective.
There were multiple plays where Johnson appears to call for a switch or expects one with Leaf but he’s playing so far back and is too slow to react to do anything about it. His foot speed and reaction time on that end still need a lot of work.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
There were many occasions of Leaf giving up too much room as Spurs players pulled up and hit jumpers as he offered only a late contest.
After grabbing 10 rebounds in the first game, Leaf hauled in only 2 today.
In game one, we saw the Leaf to be concerned about; in game two, we saw the Leaf we expected. Maybe in game three, we can see some signs of the Leaf that we hope for.
Ben Moore: B+
Moore really showed his skill set against the Spurs. The Pacers started the game off with him guarding Derrick White, who averaged 23/7/7 in the Utah Summer League and looks like a nice player, and Moore held his own pretty well.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
White finished with 19 points but made only 6 of his 18 shot attempts and many of his makes came against Holiday and/or Leaf. He seemed much less aggressive when Moore was guarding him.
And after being almost invisible in the first game, Moore was able to contribute offensively as well. He scored 10 points on five shots, hit a corner 3-pointer and added 3 assists, 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
After missing his second 3-point attempt, Moore decided to cut inside on the next one and finished the lob play from Holiday.
Moore never tries to do too much on offense and always plays within himself. He has a high basketball IQ and makes the right pass quickly. Here he takes two dribbles, realizes he isn’t going anywhere and finds an open Holiday for 3.
— Analysis Videos for iPacers (@ipacersanalysis) July 8, 2018
He’s still got a ways to go on offense (he got blocked at the rim on one attempt that he could have made an easy layup by using the basket as a shield) but this was encouraging for Moore.
This play where Moore jumps into the stands and over the Gatorade shows off his incredible effort. This led to a bucket inside from Alex Poythress and helped seal the game for Indiana late in the fourth quarter.
Edmond Sumner was out with knee soreness today. Scott Agness reported it was not the knee that had the ACL injury so that’s positive. No word on if he’ll be back on Monday.
Alex Poythress’s minutes were more limited today, probably losing out some to Johnson, but he was effective while out there, adding 6 points and 3 rebounds with a team-leading +14.
C.J. Wilcox was perfect from the field and from the line, scoring 13 points on four shot attempts. He added no other statistics except for a single rebound.
In yesterday’s press conference, Kevin Pritchard mentioned the possibility of Jefferson going overseas to play, saying that he had many conversations with Al after he was waived.
The Pacers signed Kyle O’Quinn as his replacement yesterday.
The Pacers have used the Room Exception on Kyle O’Quinn. Other than minimum deals and 2-way contracts, this is likely the last roster move.https://t.co/bvbvA59BEG
The Indiana Pacers lost their opening game in the Las Vegas Summer League the Houston Rockets by a final of 92-89, but the results of the game are meaningless.
Update: Game 2 Grades here
Pacers Summer League Game 2 Grades:
Alize Johnson and Ben Moore stand out. TJ Leaf finds his offensive rhythm. Aaron Holiday struggles from field but some positives as well.
How did the players perform? Here’s some quick grades and recap for how they did in their first game.
Aaron Holiday: B+
Holiday did just about everything you could possibly hope for him to do in his debut. He hit tough shots both inside and out. He moved the ball well, made some nice defensive plays. Most importantly, he looked like an NBA player.
Aaron Holiday, 23 points on 9-15. Showed off the confident shot-making, shiftiness off the dribble, ability to play through and finish after contact. pic.twitter.com/6uS5RqDaUf
He finished with 23 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 3 steals with 9-of-15 shooting from the field. His first three possessions of his career set the tone for his debut: 3-pointer coming off of a screen, deep 3-pointer after crossing up a big on a switch and taking it to the rack and finishing with a difficult left-hand move.
It’s unclear if he’ll still play for the Summer Pacers, but he’ll have extra motivation now as he’ll be auditioning for all 30 NBA teams.
Poythress played limited minutes after signing a 2-year deal on December last season. His contract was unguaranteed until later this month. The Pacers could have waited until after the games in Las Vegas to make a decision on his deal but decided to waive him now.
Summer League Preview Part 2:
All four of these players will start for the Summer Pacers and they all got plenty to prove.
A look at what TJ Leaf, Edmond Sumner, Alex Poythress and Ben Moore need to accomplish in Las Vegas. https://t.co/Av1Q1TxwAQ
