WIth Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard and Johnny Furphy sitting out, the Pacers lost their NBA Summer League finale 100-93 to the Cavaliers on Saturday at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
The Pacers finish Summer League 1-4. The Cavs finish 2-3.
Here are four observations.
Oscar Tshiebwe shows shooting range
Oscar Tshiebwe, still making a case to keep a two-way contract, hasn't answered all of the questions in Summer League that the Pacers might have about him going forward, but he's been an efficient shooter and productive rebounder. On Saturday he showed some touch around the rim and from further away from the bucket.
Tshiebwe scored 17 points on 8 of 13 shooting. All but one of those buckets were from the paint, but he did have three that were from the middle of the paint or above and one jumper from about 18 feet, a few feet inside the arc. He also grabbed six rebounds and added an assist and a steal.
Tshiebwe still struggled in ball screen situations and there were times in Summer League when his defensive awareness wasn't exactly tip-top, but he averaged 11.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game and shot 61% from the floor in five Summer League games.
Quenton Jackson showed off his athleticism
With Sheppard, Walker and Furphy all out and Tristen Newton running the point, Quenton Jackson got to play his more natural position of shooting guard and got to show off both in the half court and transition.
The 6-5, 173-pound Jackson, who has a recorded vertical leap of 38 1/2 inches, threw down two dazzling dunks in transition in the first half -- one when he threw down a lob on the break with one hand and another after a steal when he cocked his right arm all the way back for a tomahawk jam. In the second half he was difficult to contain off the bounce and scored on a few remarkable finishes at the rim.
Like Tshiebwe, Jackson is a restricted free agent and fighting to keep a two-way contract, but his performance in Saturday's game made a decent case. He finished with 22 points on 9 of 12 shooting and added four rebounds, three assists, four steals and two blocks, including one that he got up to pin off the backboard. With that performance Jackson finishes with double-digit scoring in Summer League, averaging 11.0 points per game.
Tristen Newton was steady at the point
Tristen Newton was one of the most important players on Connecticut's national championship run despite not playing with a lot of flash. He made the Huskies' offense go, did little things well, defended multiple positions and rebounded.
Saturday's performance for Newton showed signs of that. He took on point guard duties with a steady hand. He wasn't explosive on offense, but he put himself in good position to get fouled and take advantage. And in a Summer League that has been marked by turnovers for the Pacers, he didn't commit many.
Newton finished with 17 points, though he was just 3 of 9 from the floor. He hit a pair of 3-pointers on eight attempts, but he was also 9 of 10 at the line. He grabbed six rebounds and two steals and doled out four assists against just two turnovers over 27 minutes. The Pacers might have hoped he'd have been a little more dominant in Summer League play, but he played at his own pace and didn't get sped up, and that could be valuable for them in the long run.
Pacers can't stop Jaylon Tyson, Darius Brown
While the Pacers pulled their highest drafted player in this class and their first-round rookies from last year, the Cavs started their first rounder in Jaylon Tyson and it was clear the Pacers didn't have an option to stop him.
Jaylon Tyson, who the Cavs took with the No. 20 overall pick, scored 23 points on 9 of 10 shooting, getting to the rim and finishing with ease while also knocking down both of his 3-point attempts.
Darius Brown II, a rookie on an Exhibit 10 contract out of Utah State, was also a problem for the Pacers especially from deep. He scored 23 points on 7 of 10 shooting including 5 of 8 from beyond the arc.
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