Indiana Pacers rookie Ben Sheppard pops at Summer League with hard play and accurate outside shot
LAS VEGAS — Indiana Pacers rookie guard Ben Sheppard was a late riser in the NBA Draft process, but the reasons for his rise were obvious.
He was a standout performer at the NBA Draft Combine back in May, and that put him on almost every team's radar. A glance at his college stats shows what made him an attractive prospect — he knocked down 39.3% of his 387 three point attempts in his last two seasons at Belmont.
"He can shoot," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said the night of the NBA Draft.
The Pacers grabbed Sheppard 26th overall, a perfect spot for a shooter with some upside elsewhere. Indiana can bring him along slowly in a crowded backcourt rotation and help him develop.
The team's first chance to see him play in a professional setting was at Summer League in Las Vegas, and Sheppard's draft profile proved to be predictive. In five outings, he attempted 31 three-point shots and made 12 of them, good for 38.7%. It was clear that the team was trying to get him shots from beyond the arc.
"Just keep shooting. Keep doing what I'm doing," Sheppard said during an ESPN broadcast of the Pacers third game when asked to assess his own play. He went 5/10 from deep in that outing and finished with 19 points.
It became clear in Vegas that the 22-year old guard had a knack for finding open space. When he was assertive in searching for freedom, the ball would find him. As long as Indiana was moving the rock and not getting bogged down, the ball came to Sheppard.
Keeping the ball moving and not letting it stop was a key emphasis for Jannero Pargo, the Pacers Summer League head coach. He stressed that to players often, and it boosted the productivity of both on-ball players and off-ball guys, with Sheppard being the latter group.
"It was the change of our offense. It went from iso ball, the ball sticking and not moving, to the ball moving. Player movement, random actions. The ball [found] him tonight, and he was able to make shots," Pargo said of the big change that helped get Sheppard going in the Pacers second exhibition.
That was a needed change. During the summer Pacers first outing, Sheppard went 0/4 and had one point. He was engaged but skittish on defense and wasn't effective at all. He looked invisible at times.
Then, the blue and gold became more active, and it ignited Sheppard. He had 16 points in game two, including four made threes. He also had nine rebounds and was better on defense, showcasing his improved activity. It was a much better performance for Sheppard, and that was vital for the rest of Summer League.
"With rookies... every game you get more and more comfortable. I think he does a great job of inserting himself into the game on the defensive end, getting rebounds," Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard said of Sheppard. "Then letting the game come to him on offense. I think you saw that happen when he was getting threes down."
Sheppard looked way more comfortable as the team settled into its style. He shot 45.5% from the floor in the final four games and scored 52 points in that stretch. His defense and rebounding, as Nembhard alluded to, was better. He was the player that the Pacers hoped he would be after a rough start.
Pargo likes Sheppard's energy and competitiveness on top of his shooting. Those traits were more clear on the defensive end, where the rookie guard displayed his passion and motor. He never quit on plays, and his foot speed was impressive. That kept him in the play.
"If I play on the defensive side, it'll all work out," Sheppard said on ESPN. He finished with four steals in his five outings, but his on-ball defense was more than that. He helped the team get stops.
His team defense will need work. Most rookies do, and Sheppard is no different. He will need to adjust to a more off-ball role than he had at Belmont, too, and it's clear that his game around the rim could use some polish. He is an imperfect prospect, like every young player.
But after a slow start, he improved and displayed the skills that made the Pacers intrigued by him in the draft. He won't get a ton of run early in the regular season, so those moments and reps were important for his development.
He's fitting in off the court, too. He wears a constant smile and works hard, and his fellow rookie, Jarace Walker, had positive things to say about their relationship in Vegas.
"Real upbeat. Happy. Just real easy to get along with," Walker said of Sheppard. "We definitely gel, we're definitely cool for sure."
Ben Sheppard had a poor first outing for the Indiana Pacers in Summer League play, but he was much better during the final four games and showed why he's a prospect worth investing in — he can shoot and is active. The hope is that one day those skills will translate to actual NBA games.
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