2023 Pacers Summer League

Wizop · Post #41 » by **Wizop** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 6:04 pm

granger05 wrote:Six assists in the last one for Mathurin.

I think he responds to criticism - or if you prefer we can call it coaching - including comments he sees on social media.

granger05 · Post #42 » by **granger05** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 8:57 pm

Wizop wrote:
granger05 wrote:Six assists in the last one for Mathurin.

I think he responds to criticism - or if you prefer we can call it coaching - including comments he sees on social media.

Yeah, I definitely felt like I got to him. I don't think he's capable of making an all-nba team this year either. Just wait, and let's see if this works.

Tom White · Post #43 » by **Tom White** » Tue Jul 11, 2023 9:09 pm

granger05 wrote:Yeah, I definitely felt like I got to him. I don't think he's capable of making an all-nba team this year either. Just wait, and let's see if this works.

Maybe you could just work on his horrible shooting first.

8305 · Post #44 » by **8305** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 10:46 am

I’ve enjoyed watching Walker. He looks like a perfect fit into the existing Pacer weaknesses.
Shephard looks bigger than I was expecting. Doesn’t look over matched athletically.
Brown appears to be progressing.
Mathurin shooting….yikes!

Wizop · Post #45 » by **Wizop** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 1:08 pm

Our emergency point guard may be Walker. who knew.

JMaster5K · Post #46 » by **JMaster5K** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 6:01 pm

Wizop wrote:Our emergency point guard may be Walker. who knew.

4 yards and a cloud of dust,.. in basketball?.... o0 LOL =]

JMaster5K · Post #47 » by **JMaster5K** » Thu Jul 13, 2023 8:01 pm

The more I see of Walker,.. the higher his floor seems to go. To me, he seems to be, as 8305 said on another post, more of a Draymond type player. he could be a long term answer as the first forward off the bench at both spots on a real contender.

jowglenn · Post #48 » by **jowglenn** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 7:08 pm

I'm very pleased with Walker, he straight up reminds me of Draymond 2.0

Pacers Forever · Post #49 » by **Pacers Forever** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 7:54 pm

Pacers vs Mavs tonight 6:30 NBA tv.

Wizop · Post #50 » by **Wizop** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:07 pm

Pacers Forever wrote:Pacers vs Mavs tonight 6:30 NBA tv.

My guide says ESPN at 7:00

Pacers Forever · Post #51 » by **Pacers Forever** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 10:38 pm

Wizop wrote:
Pacers Forever wrote:Pacers vs Mavs tonight 6:30 NBA tv.

My guide says ESPN at 7:00

Your guide is most likely right. I used NBA.com schedule which has been right, but today’s games are listed on the opposite channel of what’s currently on tv.

Wizop · Post #52 » by **Wizop** » Fri Jul 14, 2023 11:30 pm

Lots of air balls

Pacers Forever · Post #53 » by **Pacers Forever** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 12:30 am

Kendall Brown looked good first game when the defense had to key on Nembhard, Mathurin, and Jackson.

Since then he has disappeared and I’m not impressed with his SL performance. Very disappointed with his raw talent he hasn’t improved his shot and made a difference. No way he deserves a regular contract and not even sure he deserves a 2 way.

Besides Tshiebwe maybe Wong is a 2 way. Maybe we look for another teams SL cut. Summer Pacers team pretty weak outside of Walker, Sheppard, and Tshiebwe.

Wizop · Post #54 » by **Wizop** » Sat Jul 15, 2023 12:40 am

I gave up in the second quarter. Watching this week's Jack Ryan episode

JMaster5K · Post #55 » by **JMaster5K** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 12:37 pm

Summer League is over for us. Any general thoughts? takeaways? standouts? just wondering what others saw?

Wizop · Post #56 » by **Wizop** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 12:59 pm

JMaster5K wrote:Summer League is over for us. Any general thoughts? takeaways? standouts? just wondering what others saw?

the second year guys were good.

Wong is a good player but has never been a point guard and he needs to learn to play that position in the G-League.

Oscar T can rebound but didn't show anything else.

I was a big KBrown fan when we drafted him but he continues to disappoint. very athletic. can defend. I'm no longer sure he's a lock for the third two-way.

I didn't see anyone else that even earned a spot on our G-League team.

JMaster5K · Post #57 » by **JMaster5K** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 3:18 pm

Wizop wrote:the second year guys were good.

Wong is a good player but has never been a point guard and he needs to learn to play that position in the G-League.

Oscar T can rebound but didn't show anything else.

I was a big KBrown fan when we drafted him but he continues to disappoint. very athletic. can defend. I'm no longer sure he's a lock for the third two-way.

I didn't see anyone else that even earned a spot on our G-League team.

I agree with you about Wong. His handle is truly slick, and he is fast. Looks like he can develop as a consistent shooter for a PG. Just needs time & reps. A couple of years in the G league should do it,.. =]

I also really likes the aggression & improved strength from I-Jacks. He put a few rebound, jump, & slams down at the rim that even last year, he would have been tentative to finish,.. just tried to dink or layin. I remember last year he was playing against Neemas Quetia in the post & got blocked 4 times in a row, inside 4-5 feet. I still think he's a better 4 than 5, because of his ability to attack & defend on the move. Much happier with his confidence at the rim.

I still like K.Brown,. but believe he is still in a similar position to Wong. He's 2 years younger than Wong. Only guy younger than him on the SL team was Walker. Unfortunately, I think he may be one of those guys that starts to show he can play in the NBA just as his rookie contract runs out. Which isn't good for him or the team.

I really like Walker, but based on what I saw, he seemed to have some problems with real length, even at the 4. Though he looks even quicker & faster than his second pre-draft workout with the Pacers. His perimeter defense & ability to cover ground defensively really stood out. I had to go back & look at the clips from the Thunder game. He looked like he was really getting frustrated with the defense,.. he was pointing out the free man when he switched or trapped, and no one stepped over. Led to Holmgren getting all those runners at the rim.

Still, really like the potential for the Pacers this year. If they can make further improvements in their chemistry (from another year together) and Walker, Brown, & Tobbin fit as well in reality as they should on paper. This is going to be a fun year !! LOL =]

Wizop · Post #58 » by **Wizop** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 4:23 pm

JMaster5K wrote:I also really likes the aggression & improved strength from I-Jacks. ...I still think he's a better 4 than 5, because of his ability to attack & defend on the move. Much happier with his confidence at the rim.

I don't think we've played him a single minute at the 4. they said he could play it back when we drafted him, but I'd think he'd have gotten a shot there if he'd shown ability at 4 in practice.

JMaster5K wrote:I still like K.Brown,..Unfortunately, I think he may be one of those guys that starts to show he can play in the NBA just as his rookie contract runs out. Which isn't good for him or the team.

that's not a concern as he's never signed a regular contract. he was a two -way last year and is still a free agent at the moment. I think he's still a year away from the beginning of a rookie contract.

JMaster5K wrote:I really like Walker, but based on what I saw, he seemed to have some problems with real length, even at the 4. Though he looks even quicker & faster than his second pre-draft workout with the Pacers. His perimeter defense & ability to cover ground defensively really stood out.

all the national talking heads were really praising him. I was surprised by how fast his hands are. he was getting steals and with Turner behind him he should be able to be even more aggressive. I have him playing the 4 with a scorer at the 3 and Toppin playing the 4 with a defender at the 3.

JMaster5K · Post #59 » by **JMaster5K** » Mon Jul 17, 2023 6:37 pm

Wizop wrote:I don't think we've played him a single minute at the 4. they said he could play it back when we drafted him, but I'd think he'd have gotten a shot there if he'd shown ability at 4 in practice.

I was thinking back to Kentucky. He played mostly PF while Oliver Sarr played C. I just think his skills fit better on the move. Don't think even now he can really muscle with the true C's. He's shown he's got good enough feet to defend on the perimeter, but he doesn't have the shooting range or connecting skills to fit from the perimeter, yet. To me, his athleticism fits better from the wing, but his offensive skill set doesn't, and the way he blocks shots probably don't want him switching out & ending up 20' from the basket.

Wizop wrote:that's not a concern as he's never signed a regular contract. he was a two -way last year and is still a free agent at the moment. I think he's still a year away from the beginning of a rookie contract.

Yup,.. I was completely spacing that he's a two-way player. Yeah,. I think he might be 2 years from a real, rookie contract, but I do like his potential.

Wizop wrote:all the national talking heads were really praising him. I was surprised by how fast his hands are. he was getting steals and with Turner behind him he should be able to be even more aggressive. I have him playing the 4 with a scorer at the 3 and Toppin playing the 4 with a defender at the 3.

His hands may be his best defensive weapons. Really like the way he played when switched out on the perimeter. Could see him being the swing forward & playing the 3 when Toppin is on the floor (also helps with the rebounding); and playing the 4, sort of a 'semi-small ball' with Mathurin or Buddy at the 3. I was surprised by his shot. It's inconsistent, but it doesn't look bad at all. I think it will be a lot more consistent with a little bit of coaching & a lot of practice. Houston just didn't use him as a shooter.

Pacers Forever · Post #60 » by **Pacers Forever** » Tue Jul 18, 2023 5:51 am

Wizop is reading my mind. I agree with his assessments.

I’ll add that I’m leaning more and more towards Walker was drafted for a defense role similar to Dale Davis. Even though we all might want a well rounded stud I think we’re going to utilize him for defense and rebounding and hope that he matures offensively over time.

Sheppard unfortunately is not a Nembhard draft surprise. I think Sheppard played aggressively, shot is better than he showed in SL, deferred to others by passing the ball. I think he needs confidence and reps to improve his total game to NBA caliber. I’m not down on him, but he’s a notch below Nembhard at this point last year.

Wong definitely needs to be a point guard project. I like his motor and his ability to drive and score. Not sure if I saw enough defense yet.

Oscar Tshiebwe is a rebound. Only way he gets out of the G league and onto the Pacers in a few years is to move better defensively and get a little more aggressive offensively near the bucket. He had some nice moves scoring in close. He was a good get.

Mojave King not impressed. Saw more of Brooks and Thompson it felt like.

This SL roster was really weak once you took away the second year players. Also wasn’t impressed with Pargo coaching.

I hate to say this but I feel like we improved the team more through free agency than the draft this year. Last year’s draft was strong. Time will tell. I really hope that we hold onto TJ McConnell.