Danny Granger

#33 / Forward / Indiana Pacers

How did Danny Granger impress?

Danny Granger did many things to impress last season. From the very beginning there was no doubt Granger was laying it all on the line whenever he played. The front teeth he turned to powder in the home opener against the Boston Celtics and the fact that he returned to the game after destroying his smile was indicative of the type of effort 33 would display throughout the season.

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Troy Murphy

#3 / Forward / Indiana Pacers

Troy Murphy is next up for a player review. If you missed the earlier reviews, here is the group of players I reviewed prior to the start of any offseason maneuvering: Jeff Foster, Brandon Rush, T.J. Ford, Jrrett Jack, Roy Hibbert, Travis Diener, Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic.

How did Troy Murphy impress?

Troy Murphy is an easy target for critics.

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Jeff Foster

#10 / Forward / Indiana Pacers

Jeff Foster is next up for a player review. If you missed the earlier reviews, here is the group of players I reviewed prior to the start of any offseason maneuvering: Brandon Rush, T.J. Ford, Jrrett Jack, Roy Hibbert, Travis Diener, Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic.

How did Jeff Foster impress?

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Brandon Rush

#25 / Guard / Indiana Pacers

Having made it through the draft, summer league, free agency, summer vacations and the start of school, I figured I'd close out August with the remaining player reviews from last season starting with Brandon Rush. Left on the review list of players who played a significant role last year are: Jeff Foster, Troy Murphy and Danny Granger. If you missed the earlier reviews, here is the group of players I reviewed prior to the start of any offseason maneuvering: T.J. Ford, Jarrett Jack, Roy Hibbert, Travis Diener, Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nesterovic.

How did Brandon Rush impress?

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T.J. Ford

#5 / Guard / Indiana Pacers

How did T.J. Ford impress?

T.J. Ford arrived in Indy last summers as the key component in the trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto and cleared the air for a new beginning for the Indiana Pacers. The belongings Ford brought with him from Toronto included a hefty salary, a scary injury history and oodles of speed and quickness to add to the Pacers backcourt.

Fortunately,  the speed and quickness were the only overt signs of baggage Ford revealed while wearing a Pacers uniform for the first time. The past neck injury which made him a risky acquisition appeared to be a non-factor as Ford played 74 games. He did have to deal with a back injury which was the main culprit in the games he did miss and lingered for much of the last half of the season. But that injury was characterized as a muscular, lower back strain, as opposed to anything close to the spinal chord or neck, which obviously would've shelved him much longer.

So, Ford played plenty of minutes which was good, but how did he play?

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Jarrett Jack

#1 / Guard / Indiana Pacers

Height: 6-3

Weight: 197

Born: Oct 28, 1983

College: Georgia Tech

How did Jarrett Jack impress?

Jarrett Jack impressed by showing up. The only Indiana Pacer to play in all 82 games also led the team in minutes with a career-high 2716 MPs.

During a tumultuous season filled with injuries, viral infections, tough, close wins and heartbreaking, buzzer-beater losses, Jack was always there ready to play the next night. He didn't talk about toughness, he exemplified it.

And where would the Pacers have been without Jack?

At different points during the season, Jack played backup point guard off the bench, starting point guard and staring off guard. He was the ultimate utility man, capable of playing in big or small lineups depending on Jim O'Brien's desired strategy.

Jack came to the Pacers over the summer with known flaws in his game. He's not the quintessential point guard. While his size is great for the position, his handle is not. He can take the ball aggressively into the lane, but his decision-making from there is sketchy. Some nights he's a hero, while other nights you're left to wonder what, if any, thought went through his head prior to a bad turnover or forced shot.

The general complaints Jack brought to Indy were evident from day one, but there's no denying his game improved throughout the season. That improvement along with his ability to shoot threes and free throws better than I expected were positive impressions on the court.

Another positive was his leadership and fearlessness. Jack really bought in to what Jim O'Brien and the Pacers organization was selling last season. He quickly became a glue guy in the locker room, helping along the young players, especially Brandon Rush, while never shying away from post-game interviews after tough losses.

Jack was fearless with the game on the line, as well. Again, this wasn't always a good thing, but I appreciate the willingness to step up and take big shots and make plays as the Pacers desperately worked to scratch out some wins. Jack's finest moment came in Madison Square Garden when he splashed the game-winner with less than a second to play.

How did Jack disappoint?

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Roy Hibbert

#55 / Center
Indiana Pacers

Height: 7-2

Weight: 278

Born: Dec 11, 1986

College: Georgetown

How did Roy Hibbert impress?

Roy Hibbert was impressive both on and off the court during his rookie season with the Indiana Pacers. When the 7'2" center was drafted last summer, he had all the earmarks of a project center. While he had the size, he appeared too slow and too clumsy for the Pacers to rely on right away. His great attitude and work ethic were touted, so I for one figured it would be a year or two before Hibbert offered any sort of impact on a game which was fine considering his potential. A best case scenario was to use Roy's size in the paint as a defensive presence and not worry about any offensive contributions.

As it turned out, Roy's offensive game was far more ready for the NBA than his defensive game, but he had enough game to play in 70 games this year, including a starting role 42 times. Many of those starts were out of desperation due to injuries or illness on the team, but over the last couple of months Roy had earned more playing time and his starting role was justified.

 Working from the post Hibbert's offensive moves were a bit mechanical and often times awkward, but they were also quite effective. When he gathered himself and didn't rush, Hibbert showed nice touch around the basket with a little jumper and one-handed hook shot. Don't get me wrong, Hibbert has many hours left to log in the gym before his post game is polished and reliable, but the baseline displayed in his first year was promising. After watching him shooting in workout drills before games, I can see Hibbert developing into a Rik Smits type player. Actually, Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas may be the perfect comparison I'm looking for. The skill to shoot is there, it just wasn't high on the pecking order of offensive options for the Pacers this year. Once Roy's shot is ready for prime time, he'll be able to force an honest defense of the pick and roll by knocking down 15-18 foot shots.

Hibbert also impressed with his ability and willingness to pass the ball. His time spent in the Princeton offense at Georgetown certainly helped, as Roy showed the ability to hit a back door cutter with a bounce pass through traffic. If anything, he was a little too confident with his ability at times. Passes that may have been converted in college were swallowed up by quicker defenders in the NBA. That's just a matter of adjusting to the NBA game and figuring out opponents strengths and where teammates need the ball, but the skill set to pass the ball effectively from the high or low post his there as another nice asset to develop.

So while I was impressed with Hibbert's offensive game on the court, his work ethic and affable personality are also worthy of mention. When relegated to the bench by foul trouble or JOB, Hibbert was always up, cheering his teammates, greeting them on the floor at timeouts, doing whatever he could to support the team from the bench. I wouldn't dub his personality as dynamic, but instead warm and friendly. He's equally at ease talking with anyone, whether through a microphone during a media interview or with a fan on the street. He's quick with a response and has a subtle, self-deprecating humor which has endeared him to fans since draft day. That much is evident from the loud cheers Roy attracts at the Fieldhouse for any positive play he makes. Hopefully those cheers will be more frequent next year as he spends more time on the court making plays.

How did Hibbert disappoint?

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Travis Diener

#12 / Guard
Indiana Pacers

Height: 6-1

Weight: 175

Born: Mar 01, 1982

College: Marquette

How did Diener impress?

Travis Diener played in 55 games last year. It just didn't seem like it.

The timing of nagging injuries and illness seemed to always stunt Diener's playing time. In fact, it became impossible to tell if Diener ever played at close to 100% healthy at any point in the season. Was his playing time limited because of his health status or just his status on the depth chart?

It would be easy to simply pin his limited action on the depth chart since he played behind T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack. But there were several opportunities throughout the year, with Jack being forced to play both guard spots and Ford missing a few games, when Diener was left to watch on the bench.

From the first of January through March, though, Diener played regularly, logging somewhere around 15-20 minutes most nights. During this stretch Diener had a handful of big games, including a hot shooting stretch in the Pacers win over Cleveland. He was also on fire for a road win at Sacramento where he knocked down five 3-balls and scored 18 points.

But big games and big numbers weren't the most impressive part of Diener's season. In fact, his ability to make the team run smoothly without putting up any quantifiable measures of success was quite impressive. In particular, Diener displayed the most fundamental asset for any team. He took care of the ball.

For the season, Diener had 122 assists to 21 turnovers, consistently taking care of the ball and thus the team when he was on the floor. Travis didn't once turn the ball over more than twice in a game and he only turned it over twice in three games.

When he did play, Diener appeared far more comfortable playing in the flow of the offense than he was last year. Working in his second year in Jim O'Brien's offense certainly helped, but remaining consistent while playing inconsistent minutes with a constantly varied playing rotation, was indeed impressive.

How did Diener disappoint?

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