Pacers sign forward Brian Bowen II to two-way contract

While Kevin Pritchard opted to double his draft capital in the second round by turning their two 2019 second rounders into future picks, the Indiana Pacers did not step away from the draft with an eye exclusively towards the future. In addition to the first round pick of Goga Bitadze, the Pacers also signed 20-year-old Michigan born forward Brian Bowen II to a two-way contract.

Bowen, a 6’8” forward born from Michigan was originally a Louisville commit, but was made ineligible by the NCAA following the FBI probe, making him undrafted in 2018, forcing his hand to go to Australia, playing for the Sydney Kings, averaging 6.3 points alongside league MVP Andrew Bogut. Bowen worked out for the Pacers, speaking to Wheat Hotchkiss afterwards.

At 8 Points 9 Seconds, Nathan Addison offered a deeper dive into Bowen’s prospect, suggesting the Pacers would regret passing on Bowen with the 50th pick. They may have done the latter, but didn’t keep it from taking on the young wing with “athleticism combined with his 3-and-D tendencies.”