I watched the first half of this game today and it wasn’t too bad tied at 38 with the Cavaliers. A lot of sub players minutes besides the starting 5 of Tshiebwe, Freeman, Brown, Newton, and Q Jackson all trying to solidify their future with the organization. So my Pacer’s SL viewing is over.
Thoughts after seeing Pacer’s Summer League are:
TEAM
Of course Walker, Sheppard, and Furphy had secure roster spots coming in. As for the K Brown roster spot, the 15th roster spot, and the 3 two way contracts I really don’t know what the Pacers will do.
Options available for the upcoming roster are to cut the non guaranteed project K Brown or sign him to the roster, sign veterans on minimum contracts, promote any of Tshiebwe, Q Jackson, Newton, or Freeman to a roster spot, or unlikely sign a SL player from another team that impressed the FO. The Pacers have a lot of end of the draft talent to decide among.
INDIVIDUAL
Sheppard definitely surprised me that he didn’t play the role of a more aggressive scorer. He seemed to be in his normal role player mode and was heavily defended. While he didn’t impress me you don’t know what the Pacers were trying to see from him.
Walker did take the lead scorer role as expected and he rebounded, assisted, and defended. He looked better than most opposing players. I don’t know if the Pacers saw what they wanted from him but we know they’re gonna work with him to get him ready for rotation minutes this season.
Furphy showcased his ability to flow in the offense, hustle, 3 point shot making, rebounding, and some defense. Definitely deserves a roster spot and was a worthwhile second round pick. G league will hopefully solidify his talents similar to how it has recently helped Sheppard and Walker. He might even get a few minutes with the Pacers later in the season due to his length and shooting. Overall he had the best Summer League of the team imho.
Enrique Freeman had bright spots and showed he needs at least a year of G League experience to develop his skills into becoming a more confident and controlled contributor. Was a pleasant surprise to see he played decent exhibiting many skills justifying his drafting. I think he deserves the 2 way contract he has been given.
Newton by the 5th SL game showed more potential playing better each game. I can’t see him being considered for a roster spot. I do believe that he earned a 2 way contract based on potential and the jettisoning of Isiah Wong earlier. Definitely needs time to develop in the G league.
Tshiebwe I feel was solid in rebounding and scoring when the opportunity arose. I’m not certain if his defense improved. I think the Pacers were looking for growth there. I’m torn on whether he should be on the roster if K Brown is released. I definitely think they do another year of developing him and a 2 way contract would be ok.
Q Jackson started in the first game and was out of control and disappointing running the offense. I heard he was a combo guard and the Pacers were seeing if he could run the point. As the 5 game schedule progressed so did his performance Athletic talent was on display and he shot well and hustled. He definitely isn’t a roster candidate for me. I’m torn on whether he deserves a 2 way with the Pacers due to his style of play fitting our system. I think he could fit with another team and needs more G league development. I wouldn’t be against him but not sure if he can beat out Newton.
Kendall Brown hasn’t done enough to solidify a roster spot imho. Looks like the same undisciplined one speed guy racing up and down the court. Sometimes he makes a layup as he excels in getting to the rim. However he turns it over or throws a pass surprising his teammates disrupting the offensive flow too much. He does deflect some passes, blocks shots, and rebounds, but I don’t see enough consistency.
I expected to see a much better player because of the Mad Ant box scores I saw last season once Sheppard was promoted leaving Brown,Wong, Q Jax, Walker, and Tshiebwe as the main players. I understand that he was drafted very young and was a lengthy development player chosen late in the draft after just 1 season at Baylor. I can’t justify a roster spot and think it’s time to part ways.
In summary as I said before the Pacers have rotations with 10 established players and this season have Walker, Wiseman and possibly Furphy to add into the mix for minutes. The only other person I could see getting minutes is if they sign a veteran minimum player whose play warrants time on the court.
So this Summer league was basically a fact finding mission for the front office and coaches to see their young talent in action against similar competition. To me it was obvious (excluding Walker and Sheppard) the SL Pacers wouldn’t produce any players breaking into the big club’s rotation minutes due to the draft choices or lack there of recently.
Speaking of draft picks next draft Pacers have their own first and second round picks. They also have a Miami protected 2nd and a Charlotte protected 2nd round pick. I don’t see anything listed for 2026.
