Keba Keita Scores Four Points in His NBA Debut with the Indiana Pacers

On Wednesday night, Keba Keita got his first NBA minutes. In the Indiana Pacers’ preseason opener, the former BYU big man scored four points and had one rebound in two minutes of a 123-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Though his time on the floor was short, Keita wasted no time making an impression. His first basket came on a strong move rim, where he sealed off his defender and finished a contested layup. His second was a putback tip-in over a pair of Timberwolves players.

You can watch both of Keita's baskets between the 16:04 to the 16:23 marks of the highlights below.

The game was played at Hilton Coliseum, home to Iowa State. It's a venue Keita is familiar with from his time at BYU. Last time he played there, the Cougars beat the Cyclones 88-85 in a double-overtime thriller where he had seven points, 15 rebounds, and three blocks.

A winding road to the NBA

After participating in the NBA G-League Combine back in May, Keita went undrafted in June. He then joined the Pacers’ NBA Summer League roster, where he showed promising signs. In four games, he averaged 8.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 13.5 minutes a game.

His best performance came in the final contest, where he had 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, seven rebounds, two steals, and three blocks in just 16 minutes.

When the NBA Summer League was over, an intriguing door opened for Keita.

After the NCAA announced their new 5-in-5 rule for the 2027-28 season, a flurry of seniors who just graduated started filing lawsuits to get a fifth year of college basketball for the 2026-27 season.

Keita was among the players attempting to return and was part of the same temporary restraining order as BYU center Jaxon Kohler. However, after a few weeks of considering that option, he ended up remaining with the Pacers organization as he signed a one-year Exhibit 10 deal on September 19.

The road ahead

Now the real work begins for Keita. Exhibit 10 deals are no guarantee of a permanent spot on an NBA roster and competition is fierce to get one. Keita will have to fight for his place and hope to earn a two-way contract to remain in the league.

At this level, Keita is undersized as a center, but he has great physical tools and has shown flashes of what his potential could look like as a pro. Rim running and rebounding are core parts of his game, and if he can find ways to continue doing those well, he’ll at least make a case to stay longer term.

Though it was just one game, Keita made a good impression on his debut. There will be more opportunities ahead as the Pacers finish out the rest of their preseason schedule. However, there are just three games remaining, so time is running out to show his impact.

After the preseason is over, Keita will have to wait and see what his ultimate fate is for the upcoming NBA season.

Kevin Young has already sent Egor Demin, AJ Dybantsa, and Richie Saunders to the NBA. Now Keita has a chance to be Young's fourth player in the league as he tries to find his way there too.

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