Pacers get great preseason test in OT loss to Grizzlies

The Pacers played their preseason opener like two mini-games and can take away plenty of good and bad to continue working on.

As far as preseason openers go, the Pacers 127-122 OT loss to the Grizzlies was a masterpiece. The teams combined to play 30 players, with all by Shaquille Harrison scoring at least two points.

There were impressive highlights from expected players like Derrick Rose, Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane for the Grizzlies and Bennedict Mathurin, Obi Toppin, TJ McConnell and Bruce Brown for the Pacers.

There were plenty of unexpected highlights, as well during a ferocious fourth quarter that eventually extended into overtime. Kenny Lofty Jr. and Jake LaRavia kept the Grizz rolling while rookies Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard flashed their skills during the battle down the stretch.

Rick Carlisle played the vets in the first half and for the most part, played the rookies and other young players for the bulk of the second half. Memphis played their vets through the third quarter, so the strong play from Walker and Sheppard was impressive.

The Pacers started Myles Turner, Obi Toppin, Bennedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown and TJ McConnell. Both Tyrese Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard sat out, which seemed fair since Memphis was without Ja Morant and Marcus Smart.

Both teams were off and running from the tip wit the Grizz leading 34-32 after the first quarter. Nine Pacers played and all nine scored. The pace continued through the second quarter but the clanks showed up in a big way with both teams making just 3 of 12 threes in the quarter.

Memphis extended their lead by getting to the lane and scoring in the paint, seemingly at will. With all of the good feels about the offense and the young players after the game, the glaring problem was that the revamped defense (admittedly without Haliburton and Nembhard) struggled to slow down the Grizz, particularly in pick n roll situations.

Toppin started the game out well with a block/rebound, transition bucket and three-pointer in the first three minutes. But Jaren Jackson Jr. was too much for Obi at the other end. The big, stout front court is always an advantage for the Grizzlies and the Pacers didn’t have an answer for them with their half-court defense.

Among that first half crew, Mathurin lead the way with 18 points, 7 rebounds and even a couple of assists. Benn was also looking to pass far more than we remember last season. He did have three turnovers trying to squeeze a couple of passes in, but the effort was there. TJ McConnell added 11 points with 8 assists, doing what TJ does in general.

The rookies and other young players aside from Mathurin didn’t play in the first half, but Jarace and Sheppard started the second half and played quite well. With fresh legs, Sheppard drained three of his first four three-balls, but was also active at both ends and found ways to finish inside. Sheppard played over 25 of the 29 minutes in the second half and overtime and the 3-ball went away as he wore down. But Shep still finished with 15 points and 3 assists as he and Walker played big roles in keeping the offense rolling late in the game with no true point guard on the floor.

Last but not least, Jarace Walker delivered the ultimate revelation and what he can do on the floor. My goodness, the young fella was everywhere. He essentially was the point guard over the final eight minutes of the game along wit overtime. The rook scored a team high 19 points, making 4 of 9 three-pointers and only two of those were ill-advised (he made one of the ill-advised shots). Walker also finished with 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 turnovers. He was a tick late on a few passes, trying to hit a cutter in traffic which lead to the turnovers, but he sees what is going on quite well.

How Walker is worked into the mix will be quite interesting going forward. He is absolutely raw and still scrambling to figure things out. But his vast array of skills and ways to impact the game are undeniable. He was quite aggressive and confident in his game, but he was also playing with the tail end of the roster. How he fits in with the vets will determine how much he can play initially.

On Saturday after practice, Walker and essentially all of the young guys who played in the second half (Walker, Shep, Kendall Brown, Oscar, Wong, Jalen Smith) were going through offensive sets in a 5 on 0 situation under the strict guidance of Lloyd Pierce. Carlisle talked about the consistency of the young guys being a challenge and how they were working with Pierce because they struggled executing during practice.

So, the biggest question I have after watching this game is: How will Jarace hold up defensively against players higher up in the rotation?

The Pacers struggled to guard their yard in the first half, and overall gave up 78 points in the paint. That ain’t gonna fly going forward and if Walker can help impact the defense, even if just against certain matchups, he will get his opportunity. Then once on the court, we can enjoy the rest of his game as he figures it all out.

Should be fun.

Check out all of the highlights here: