The 2024 Summer Pacers residency in Las Vegas came to a perhaps merciful end on Saturday after they managed to win just one of their five games in the NBA Summer League.
They were one of just six teams in the event to win one game or fewer with three squads going winless. They committed more turnovers − a gruesome 21.6 per game − than any other team in the event and also committed the third most fouls with 23.4 per game. Their offensive execution was mediocre across the board as they averaged 90.2 points per game on 42.5% shooting, including 31.0% from 3-point range and their defense wasn't any better.
But of course, that doesn't matter much at all. This collection of players will almost certainly never be together again as a collective, though several players on it will be part of Indiana's organization with the Pacers or Mad Ants in 2024-25. Summer League team success has no correlation with what happens in the actual season, as evidenced by the fact that the three teams that finished 1-4 − the Pacers, Mavericks and Thunder − each won at least one playoff series with the Pacers advancing to the Eastern Conference finals and the Mavericks losing to Boston in the NBA Finals. The NBA champion Celtics finished just one game better at 2-3.
In terms of its relevance to organizations, Summer League is much more interesting in terms of individual development than collective success. In that regard, the event was much more productive for the Pacers, who got a better sense of what they have in their younger players, especially their three second round picks. With that in mind, here are five things we learned about the Pacers in NBA Summer League.
Johnny Furphy is ahead of the curve
Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan suggested when the Pacers took Johnny Furphy in the second round with the No. 35 overall pick that he was a player Indiana could take its time developing.
The Pacers spent most of the pre-draft process looking at experienced players who could be game-ready even if they weren't part of the rotation immediately, but they were pleasantly surprised the 19-year-old Furphy was still on the board in the second round so they took him without having had him in for a workout. With their rotation established after an Eastern Conference finals run, they expected it might take a while for him to break through.
But Furphy showed more polish on both ends of the floor in Las Vegas than the Pacers may have expected. Buchanan raved on draft day about Furphy's ability to move without the ball, and that showed up throughout his four games. The 6-9, 202-pound wing showed that he could both cut and space, using his gravity as a shooter to drag defenders away from the paint but also diving to the rim to get open for easy finishes. The Pacers might have liked to have seen better shooting efficiency as he made just 20 of 54 field goals (37.0%) and 10 of 35 3-pointers (28.6%). However, the range was there and he maintained confidence after misses. His late 3-pointer against the Suns on which he was smart enough not to bring the ball down before shooting to avoid a shot-clock violation was the biggest play in the lone game the Pacers won.
Furphy's athleticism also flashed as much as his basketball IQ, as he threw down several dunks including lob finishes and he averaged 6.0 rebounds per game, the third highest figure on the team. He wasn't dominant on the defensive end but had more success on that side than expected with seven steals in four games.
Furphy still needs to add some strength and there's not a clean path to playing time available for him with Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith back to start at shooting guard and small forward, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin both back to play wing positions and the power forward spot stacked with Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin. Jarace Walker, drafted No. 8 overall in the 2023 draft, can also play both forward spots and there's no guarantee even he will have a rotation spot. However, the Pacers have a need for a movement shooter and Furphy could get at least some minutes this season, even if he also spends some time on G League assignments. He doesn't seem far away from being an impact player.
Jarace Walker showed versatility, but isn't a rotation certainty
Coach Rick Carlisle and Buchanan both said that the Pacers had challenged Jarace Walker going into his second Summer League to prove that he deserved a rotation spot.
The Pacers' immediate ascent from lottery team to Eastern Conference finalist made it difficult for their lottery pick to get consistent playing time. The 20-year-old played in just 33 NBA games last season and averaged 10.3 minutes and 3.6 points per game when he got in there. However, he showed willingness to take G League assignments and he was dominant there, averaging 21.5 points for the Mad Ants. Other teams were reportedly interested in trading for Walker − including the Raptors when the Pacers were looking to acquire Pascal Siakam − but they chose not to move him. Though he was drafted as a power forward at 6-8, 240 pounds, he showed the ability to shoot, pass and handle the ball on the perimeter with skills and feel for the game that went back to his days as a high school point guard at Florida's IMG Academy. Carlisle indicated during the season the Pacers were interested in seeing what he could do at small forward and elsewhere.
Summer League meant all the players blocking Walker from playing time weren't around, so getting him opportunities was one of the focal points of the event. He played in four games and led the team in minutes (33.9 per game) and field goal attempts with 13.5 per game. He turned those opportunities into production and led the Pacers in scoring (18.0 points per game) and assists (4.8 per game) and was second on the squad in rebounding (7.3 per game). He showed off his dramatically improved 3-point shooting, knocking down 11 of 24 attempts, a team-best 45.8% from beyond the arc. Though he was drafted as a power forward, he never played the position in Las Vegas this year, operating as both the small forward and shooting guard and sometimes even bringing the ball up the floor.
But with the ball in Walker's hand so much he was sometimes careless with it. His assists were slick, but he also forced passes into traffic and paid for it, averaging a brutal 5.5 turnovers per game which led to the Pacers turning the ball over more than any other team in Summer League. He was also just so-so on defense, which was supposed to be his strong suit when he was drafted. He averaged 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks per game and had a few impressive blocks, but his defensive awareness and ability to keep ball-handlers in front of him or cutters from getting behind him wasn't always top notch.
Walker's ability to score the ball inside and out is relevant. Along with the outside shooting, he also showed how he could post up smaller players in the paint and punish them. He clearly has developed his game despite the lack of playing time. But as diverse of a skill set as he has, it's not an easy one to fit in the Pacers frenetic uptempo offense, and if he doesn't have a defensive advantage, it might not be easy for him to beat out someone like Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin or Ben Sheppard for a spot on the second unit. He still has the rest of the summer to grow and then a training camp to make his case, but as productive as it was, his Summer League likely wasn't enough for him to solidify anything.
Tristen Newton steady, but struggles to shoot
A big reason why Tristen Newton was Big East Player of the Year and the NCAA Tournament's Most Outstanding Player was that he could fill a stat sheet with production on both ends of the floor.
Newton showed signs of being that player in Las Vegas. He was steady if not necessarily dynamic at the point and useful on both ends and on the glass. Again he filled the stat sheet with 9.0 points, 3.8 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.4 blocks per game, and his 2.8 turnovers gave him the best assist-to-turnover ratio among Pacers who appeared in at least four games. However, shooting was more than a struggle.
Newton made just 8 of 40 field goal attempts in five games (20%) and was even worse from 3-point range, making just 4 of 22 (18.2%). He spent more time at the free-throw line than any other Pacers player, however, knocking down 25 of 28 attempts there.
Newton will likely begin his career on a two-way contract with Furphy having signed a four-year guaranteed deal as a second-rounder. His positional versatility could lead to him getting frequent opportunities to be active for the Pacers, but he would help himself if he shows more comfort in the Pacers' wide open system and and if he can make shots with more frequency.
Enrique Freeman is as high-energy as advertised
Enrique Freeman made his name at Akron by being relentlessly high-energy, averaging double-figure rebounds in each of his last three seasons and leading Division I in rebounding in his final season.
He didn't put up massive rebounding figures in Las Vegas as he did in college, but the energy flashed on both ends of the floor. He proved a better than adequate finisher at the rim, throwing down several lobs. Freeman averaged 1.7 blocks per game in his fifth year at Akron and showed he could protect the rim at the professional level as well with five blocks in five games. He made 17 of 28 field goal attempts (60.7%), including 2 of 6 from 3-point range showing that he has some accuracy from distance as well as the ability to finish at the rim. He averaged a modest 4.4 rebounds per game − not as dominant there as Oscar Tshiebwe, who led Division I in rebounding the two years before Freeman did − but he showed more lateral quickness on the defensive end which could give him a better chance to hold his own in pick-and-roll defense.
Freeman will likely start on a two-way contract and might not get a lot of opportunities this season behind Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman at center, and will most likely spend most of his time with the Mad Ants. However, he showed he can be effective at the 5 or the 4 next to Tshiebwe and with continued energy and athleticism he might eventually be able to get to the mix when Jackson and then Wiseman come to the end of their deals.
Quenton Jackson, Oscar Tshiebwe locked in battle for two-way deal
Guard Quenton Jackson and center Oscar Tshiebwe might be in a battle for the Pacers last two-way contract. Both had moments when they flashed in Las Vegas, but neither created enough separation to feel comfortable going forward.
With the signing of Wiseman and Furphy getting a guaranteed full-time contract and 15-man roster spot and 11 players back on guaranteed contracts from last season, that leaves two 15-man roster spots and three two-ways available. Forward Kendall Brown's contract is not guaranteed, but he was converted to the 15-man roster from a two-way last spring, so the Pacers would have to waive him before opening day to avoid paying his contract. The 15th spot could go to elder statesman James Johnson Jr., who made an impact in the playoffs despite barely getting on the floor.
Newton and Freeman appear likely to get two-way deals, which leaves one more available for Jackson and Tshiebwe, who were on two-way deals last year.
Both players seemed to play with that level of pressure on them in Las Vegas, as each tried to do too much, but they also had good moments.
Jackson, a bouncy 6-5 combo guard, scored 22 points in the fifth and final game against Cleveland on Saturday to finish with 11.0 points per game. He made 9 of 12 field goals in the game to finish with 20 field goals on 32 attempts (62.5%). He hit just one 3-pointer in Saturday's game and did most of his damage at the rim, with acrobatic layups and lob finishes, but he also hit 1 of 3 3-pointers. That 3 was his fifth of the event on 11 attempts, a 45.5% clip from outside.
Jackson seemed more comfortable playing shooting guard than point guard, but he dished out 21 assists in five games. He committed nine turnovers in the first game trying to do a little too much as the point guard in the Pacers' offense of organized chaos, but only had six turnovers the rest of the way.
Tshiebwe, who led the G League with 16.0 rebounds per game last season and won G League Rookie of the Year honors, was strong on the glass as usual. His numbers weren't as dominant as they were with the Mad Ants, but he still led the summer Pacers with 8.6 per game. He averaged 11.6 points and shot 61% from the floor, even showing some touch away from the rim. That said, lateral quickness on defense is still and issue and he struggles in pick-and-roll coverage, needing to play in drop to have a chance which doesn't work against smaller lineups. He averaged 18.5 minutes per game in part because there were lineups he couldn't play against.
The Pacers could obviously decide to keep neither player or they could be fortunate enough to keep one or both on the Mad Ants without using a two-way deal, but at this point it's more likely they'll have to choose between the two and there's not an obvious choice at this point.
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