Johnny Furphy's grind to make an impact pays off as bright spot in Pacers loss to Pelicans
Another rough start in New Orleans sent the Pacers to their fourth consecutive loss, but along the fringes of the playing rotation there was entertainment to be found.
Johnny Furphy has had to endure a frustrating start to his sophomore season with the Pacers after an electric NBA Summer League effort had hopes rising for the recently turner 21 year old forward to find an impactful spot in the team’s lineup.
Furphy moves well on defense, moves well without the ball and moves really well getting to the rim where he is known to stun onlookers, let alone opponents by dunking in traffic. Unfortunately, early season ankle sprains muted all expectations as he tries to get his game in shape during regular season NBA action.
Developing into an Obi Toppin-like sniper from behind the arc is a big area of development for Furphy, as well. He hasn’t hunted threes in the minimal minutes he’s played thus far, but is making 38 percent of his tries so far this season. However, I’ve watched his pregame workouts several times over the last few months and the young fella has been grinding through frustration trying to get a consistent rhythm shooting the 3-ball. Between the injury issues and working on his own, he needed a positive boost to let his confidence take hold.
In New Orleans, it appeared that may have happened as Furphy started the second quarter and knocked down a 3-ball on the team’s first possession. He soon scored again, getting to the rim for a make on a night when layups near the rim were a struggle for the Pacers as a whole.
About seven minutes into the solid stint from Furphy, he appeared to be done for the night, leaving the game with another ankle tweak. Fortunately, he was able to return before the end of the first half an then played almost 15 minutes in the second half, earning the extra burn with his assertive play and finishing the game with 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting (1 for 3 from 3-land) to give the Pacers something positive to take away from New Orleans as they remain on the road to play the Celtics in Boston on Monday night. Furphy is back on the injury list as questionable due to the ankle tweak, but you have to imagine he will do everything possible to give it a go and try to build on his effort against the Pels
James Wiseman returns and other notes
Another bright spot for the Pacers was the sudden return of James Wiseman to the mix on a 10-day contract. With Tony Bradley dealing with a thumb injury, the front office fortified the front court by bringing back Wiseman after he was the odd man out among the four-man front court battle earlier in the season. To his credit, Wiseman showed up ready to go and earned 15 minutes off the bench scoring 6 points with 3 rebounds which included a run out dunk to gave him an opportunity to flush some of his frustrations in one play.
The whack-a-mole lineup shifting to fill holes in the roster has reached a legendary status and we are not through December yet. I just imagine Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan greeting each other every day by saying, ‘who are we moving today?’ instead of ‘good morning’ to address the needs of the moment. With TJ McConnell (knee) showing up as questionable on the injury list, the Pacers called back Kam Jones from the G-League winter showcase in Orlando to meet the team in Boston. Taelon Peter, who has been lighting the G on fire from behind the arc, did not play in the Boom’s game on Sunday so he may not be far behind. The Celtics may be without star Jaylen Brown who missed the team’s win over Toronto due to an illness and remains questionable.
Johnny Furphy was just 1 of 3 from behind the arc in New Orleans, but he had the second best shooting night from distance behind Garrison Mathews who made both of his 3PAs. For the game the Pacers were 8 of 42 from 3-land. Jay Huff was 0-4, Bennedict Mathurin 0-5 and Jarace Walker 1-8 among the many misses suffered by the streaky-at-best Pacers.
Coach Rick Carlisle remains stuck on 999 career wins after four consecutive losses for the Pacers. Radio play-by-play legend, Mark Boyle points out that in the matchup with the Celtics on Monday night, Carlisle is the oldest active coach in the league going for win 1,000 while Joe Mazulla is the youngest active coach and will be trying to win his 200th game.
Pacers vs. Celtics
Where: TD Garden, Boston, MA
When: Monday, December 22, 2025 - 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: FanDuel Sports Network
Radio: 93.5/107.5 The Fan
Odds: Pacers +11.5
Projected Starters
Pacers: Andrew Nembhard, Quenton Jackson, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam, Jay Huff
Celtics: Payton Pritchard, Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jordan Walsh, Neemias Queta
Injuries
Pacers: Johnny Furphy (ankle) - questionable, TJ McConnell (knee) - questionable, Ben Sheppard (calf) - out, Aaron Nesmith (knee) - out, Obi Toppin (hammy) - out, Tyrese Haliburton (Achilles) - out
Celtics: Jaylen Brown (illness) - questionable, Jordan Walsh (illness) - questionable, Jayson Tatum (Achilles) - out