Pacers News: Summer League and Summer Rumors

The Pacers Summer League work was worthwhile even if the games were a struggle to watch.

Rookie Jarace Walker enjoyed plenty of reps in a variety of situations in Vegas.

Nice to be back in the saddle or on the keyboard here with the NBA Summer League championship game in progress. After the first two games, it looked like the Summer Pacers might make the Monday night finale, but alas, the latter half of the roster didn’t have the goods to get it done…nor win a game.

Going through those final three games after the fact, was done in the name of science, because it was not a pleasurable exercise. Yes, even a summer league games filled with “oofs” is better than no game at all, but I learned the gap is closer than I initially thought.

Breaking down each player is also an overwrought exercise since only seven-ish players will have a shot at impacting the upcoming season for the Pacers. Much of my thoughts on key players after the first game, holds up through the week in Vegas. But, here’s an update on those key individuals.

• Rookies Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard will not get the full treatment here since I have more on both working in the lab, but do want to mention the volume of reps each received will do nothing but help in the long run. Good, bad and ugly moments for both, but Sheppard shot over 38% on 31 three-point attempts while never seeming to be shooting that well for a full game. Often, looked uncomfortable with pulling a shot, but when he had it going, you could see what the Pacers like in him. As for Walker, he looked much better with the better players around him in the first two games. Of course, he needs to ease up on the three-ball attempts, but the variety of situations he was put in over the two games he played without the vets, will also serve him well. Just trying to pull off a point-forward role at this point. Forget the end result or execution for a moment and appreciate the rook just taking on that challenge without hesitation.

• Andrew Nembhard was a head above the competition in the two games he played, with his CP3 midrange game and total control of the game flow. Just a tough, two-way guard. I saw some angst among Pacers fans on social media, thinking the Pacers would have to move Nembhard to maximize his value since he’s good enough to start and…whoa, let’s slow down. The Pacers were smart enough to sign Nembhard to a 4-year deal work just over $2 mil per. They still have him under contract for THREE years. Oh, and he can play beside Haliburton or without Haliburton. He can fill a variety of roles on defense depending on the matchup which is even more valuable with Bruce Brown in the mix. Nembhard is going to play whether he starts or not with plenty of minutes to keep him happy. The Pacers should focus on utilizing the Swiss Army Guard unless trading for a major addition is in play. Does the rumored Pascal Siakam trade count? Pretty close, although that deal would have to include some kind of extension. Regardless, I’m in no rush to see Nembhard leave when the Pacers need as much high-quality depth as they can suit up.

• Not much new on Bennedict Mathurin from game one, although he did dish out six assists in his second and final game. Those passes came after another early stint when Mathurin struggled to finish iso plays. He continues to force the action with mixed results, but I think we’d all enjoy seeing the young fella give it up and get it back more often. Mathurin did finish averaging 22 points per game, making 14 of 15 free throws which has become his signature play.

• Isaiah Jackson took advantage of his two games to end up leading the Summer League in rebounds at 12.5 boards per game. He also had a lot of fouls but only 3 blocks. So while he may have been working on staying on the floor defensively, IJax still struggled to defend with out reaching at times. Overall, though, the young third-year big showed spurts of being a factor in the regular season rotation. He shot well around the rim and continuing to focus on all of the parts on the defensive end will continue to increase his value.

• Among the two-way trio of Isaiah Wong, Oscar Tshiebwe and Kendall Brown, none looked ready to change their status to full time before the season. Of course, a trade clearing certain positions could change that, but all three did show certain skills that might keep them around. Fringe rotation players need to do something at a high level. For Wong, he can get buckets. His game was well suited for the AAU-ish games in Summer League when the offense wasn’t exactly flowing. Wong could get to the rim and shot 40% from three, but his best skills are better suited for a shooting guard and not a point guard which he will need to play at his size. Tshiebwe didn’t match the high hopes I had for him, but did show his ability to rebound and in particular, to keep possessions alive on the offensive glass. He seemed to get more comfortable finishing around the rim as the week went on, but he definitely struggled against bigger defenders. Still, could see a role for him on a 15-man roster if a trade and/or injury loosens the center logjam. Brown is also at the wrong end of a numbers game, but his youth and activity make him worth keeping around. He does some wild things on the floor at times, but his effort and ability to run hard serve him well. He needs to become a film rat and continue learning from his good and bad plays. When Brown struggles with reads and recognition he eight slows down or just looks out of control.

Now what?

There were also a few trade rumors involving the Pacers over the past ten days. Chad Buchanan didn’t rule out anything regarding the Pacers making additional moves, while also saying he is comfortable if the right move isn’t available, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic.

“We still have a little room left,” he said. “But I don’t think a team’s done until you’re done. We’ll always try to be opportunistic when we can on anything. But I don’t think we’re like aggressively pursuing anything right now. But you always think every team in the league is gonna wait till what opportunities are out there. Obviously, some big names out there … could get moved still this offseason, and if that filters down and impacts other teams, if it impacts us, we’ll consider it. But, if it doesn’t, we’re also happy with this group now. We’re not going to rush things to try to jump and go all in right now. I don’t think that’s where we’re at. We don’t have that. We’re not one player away from being a championship-caliber team. I think we realize it takes time and it takes guys developing and growing.”

While it appears the Hawks are the leading contender to trade for Pascal Siakam, the Pacers have been mentioned with various pieces including Buddy Hield and Daniel Theis, as Scott Agness reported. The third player and/or draft picks is where things get interesting. Nembhard is a no brainer for the Raps, but that would be a tough ask for the Pacers unless they knew Siakam was in for an extension and a few more years.

TJ McConnell is another player mentioned in trade rumors, initially via Jake Fischer. The most common explanation had a McConnell going to Phoenix, with Cam Payne going to the Knicks and Evan Fournier and draft picks to the Pacers. This would require other parts, but didn’t get that far before Payne was dealt to the Spurs. In an effort to move Fournier, who has a contract with a team option next season, the Knicks may want McConnell and Theis, but that’s not a needle mover for either team. Plus, much like Nembhard, the Pacers shouldn’t be in a hurry to deal McConnell unless he absolutely wants to go somewhere else. For one, a third point guard is key for a team trying to make the playoffs since you can’t pencil in 78 games for Tyrese Haliburton. Plus, McConnell can sort of help fill that veteran pro presence in the locker room since the Pacers don’t have room for George Hill or James Johnson…at least not today.

Stay tuned, that may change any day now.

For more details on Summer League:

• Scott Agness at Fieldhouse Files was in Vegas and has a ton of stories to check out.

• Tony East was also in Vegas so check out his work HERE and in pod form at Locked on Pacers available on all of your favorite pod sources. Highly recommend the LOP episode from Saturday, July 15 which ends with Tony riffing off a Zach Lowe column on the Blazers history of moves during Damian Lillard’s career, to highlight an issue we all hope the Pacers handle differently during Tyrese Haliburton’s career.