The weeks immediately preceding and following the NBA Draft are always a whirlwind of changes for rookies.
From the countless workouts and interviews to getting picked, moving to a new city overnight and meeting new teammates, there’s tons of hype inside and out of the team.
Then, just a couple weeks after draft day, the players pack their bags and head to Las Vegas to play ball – giving fans and coaches a glimpse of what’s to come.
With the pre- and post-draft pomp and circumstance complete, the newest Indiana Pacers put on the Blue & Gold for the first time and took to the floor in Vegas for Summer League action earlier this month.
While results should be taken with a grain of salt, Indiana’s first-year players showed promise in Summer League action, and could instantly help the Pacers once the regular season rolls around in October.
Walker shows versatility, high potential
When the Pacers drafted University of Houston forward Jarace Walker eighth overall, Blue & Gold brass believed they had selected a player who could make a significant impact on the defensive end of the floor that could also create offense for his teammates thanks to his high IQ and playmaking abilities.
From the get-go at Summer League, Walker showed everyone he’s as advertised: a defensive stalwart who makes winning plays on both ends of the floor.
Forty-five seconds into the first game of the summer, Walker swiped the ball from a Washington Wizards guard, who was attempting to cross him and go to the rim, which turned into the game's first points. Later in the third quarter, Walker emphatically blocked a dunk attempt by the Wizards at the rim, getting veteran players in attendance on their feet, leading to an and-one opportunity for teammate Kendall Brown.
By the end of game one, a nine-point win, Walker finished with eight points, 13 rebounds, five assists, three steals and three blocks.
Walker, 6-8, 250 pounds, stuffed the stat sheet on more than one occasion during Summer League play. He ended up starting and playing in four total games for the Pacers and averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game while averaging 30.1 minutes.
His length (a 7-2 ½-foot wingspan), strength and quickness gave opposing guards and bigs difficulties, and his playmaking ability opened up the floor for his teammates.
Walker didn’t just play at the forward position in Summer League. In game three, when returning Pacers Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson were all shut down, Walker ran the point at times for the Pacers.
“I have been telling people all along he’s a very versatile player,” Pacers Summer League coach Jannero Pargo said after Walker scored 20 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “He’s really comfortable with the ball in his hands, playing in pick and roll. … He’s very versatile, very gifted offensively. He sees plays. He’s able to put the ball on the floor and create opportunities for his teammates.”
While he played well overall, Walker struggled to find consistency on his jump shot (34 percent shooting, 18 percent from 3-point range) in Las Vegas; not uncommon for players in the summer.
Coaches and teammates raved about Walker during the trip out west, which is a good sign as he works to refine his game heading into the regular season.
“He's different," Mathurin said of Walker. "His presence is unbelievable, his wingspan is great … I love his energy. That's one thing we're gonna need from him, obviously coming in as a rookie, playing defense, playing hard."
Sheppard brings the energy
Don’t let the charming smile fool you – Ben Sheppard isn’t afraid to lay it all on the line at any time.
During Summer League play, Sheppard checked off all of his scouting report boxes by showing off his strong shooting ability and activeness on defense.
Sheppard, who is 6-6, 190 pounds, was the only Pacers player to start in all five games of Summer League. He finished averaging 10.6 points on 41.7 percent shooting (38.7 percent from 3-point range), 3.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists across 29.9 minutes per game.
The Belmont product’s best performance came against the Orlando Magic when he scored a personal-best 21 points while also pulling down nine rebounds (four offensive) in a blowout win.
Whether working through a screen, diving for a loose ball or grabbing and offensive board, Sheppard helped keep the fast-moving Pacers moving.
“Playing hard is a part of my game,” Sheppard said after the game against Dallas. “That’s a big part of what I bring to the table and I just need to make sure I bring that every night.”
While Sheppard will need to fight for minutes, given the current construction of the Pacers’ roster, what he has shown so far offers a promising outlook for his future.
Pargo said that Sheppard’s energy and effort are “unmatched,” and that the rookie will be one of the players he works with closely this upcoming season.
“I’m looking forward to diving into Ben Sheppard. He’s going to be one of my guys,” Pargo said following the game against Detroit. “Just helping him understand the game, to slow the game down for him. His energy and effort is going to take him a long way. I just want to help him develop his 3-point shot. He’s already a good shooter, and I want to help him become a great shooter.”
Two-way players get reps
The Pacers have signed two rookies to two-way contracts for the 2023-24 season –University of Miami guard Isaiah Wong and University of Kentucky center Oscar Tshiebwe – and both were able to log minutes during Summer League.
Wong and Tshiebwe played in all five Summer League games, seeing their minutes increase in the final three games once Mathurin, Nembhard and Jackson were shut down.
For Wong, he started in the final three games and averaged 17.5 minutes overall. Wong shot 45.2 percent from the field, leading the team in 3-point shooting at 40 percent, with 2.6 assists and 1.4 rebounds per game.
Wong, who helped Miami to the Final Four this past spring, exploded for 24 points (6-for-13 field goal, 5-for-7 from3-point range) against the Detroit in his most memorable appearance.
Both Pargo and Wong said that the rookie will need to work on his playmaking skills, as he will play at the point as a professional.
“I’ve been learning a lot,” Wong said. “Just, for me, most of it is on the defensive end and being more of a point guard. I feel like coming into all these games I’m learning more and more and it’s showing, doing increasingly well over games.”
Tshiebwe, the 2022 National Player of the Year in college, averaged just over 13 minutes per game in Summer League, averaging 6.4 points (68 percent shooting) and 6.8 rebounds.
Every time he took the floor, Tshiebwe showed off his advanced rebounding abilities, bullying the big bodies inside with his 6-9, 260-pound frame.
Notably, against the Mavericks, six of his seven rebounds were on the offensive end. Against OKC, Tshiebwe snagged 11 rebounds in just 16 minutes on the floor.
Both Wong and Tshiebwe will likely play in the G League to start the season, and given the amount of talent already on the Pacers’ roster will need to make significant improvements to make it to the full roster.