Ex-Akron basketball star Enrique Freeman shines with Pacers in homecoming against Cavs

The Indiana Pacers can't hang a lot of relevance on their 129-117 preseason win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday, considering Cleveland held out four of its starters including Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley as well as top sub and former Pacers guard Caris LeVert. That's not nearly the same as beating the team that grabbed last year's No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference and took out the young and dangerous Magic before losing to the Celtics in five games in the semifinals.

This game might not have mattered much to most of its participants, but it meant a great deal to rookie Enrique Freeman, the Cleveland native who starred at Akron, leading Division I in rebounding as a senior. Freeman might come back to Cleveland this year, but he's on a two-way contract so he also might not. His family and friends took advantage of the moment as he had more than 50 people on hand for Thursday night's game.

As Rick Carlisle tends to do, he found opportunities for Freeman to shine. He actually checked in first among players who would be considered part of the third unit and he played 16 minutes and 18 seconds, more than Ben Sheppard and more than starters Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith.

He responded with a performance like so many of the ones he had at Akron. He posted nine points and nine rebounds with seven of those boards coming on the offensive glass. He was energetic on both ends and even showed range knocking down a 3-pointer. He also added an assist and a blocked shot.

The evening didn't end well as he came down awkwardly on his right leg late in the game. It seemed like he was dealing with cramps but it wasn't clear what his injury was. Veteran James Johnson Jr. ultimately had to help him to the locker room.

Freeman is on a two-way contract and considering the makeup of the rest of the roster he'll likely spend more time with the Mad Ants this year than the Pacers. But his energy on Thursday was a sign the second-round pick might have a chance to make an impact in the long term.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Ex-Akron basketball star Enrique Freeman shines with Pacers in homecoming against Cavs