Indiana Pacers Summer League: Five takeaways from five games in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS — NBA Summer League play is over, and the league is headed for a slower period on the calendar. Some transactions could still happen in the coming months, and news will pop up here and there until training camp, but the slowest portion of the NBA calendar is approaching.
It's a good time for reflection, and with Summer League so fresh on everyone's mind, it's an easy event to look back on. And for the Indiana Pacers, the exhibitions in Las Vegas were an even better evaluation tool — several players from the team's regular season roster played during the five-game stretch.
The Pacers went 2-3, but results don't matter. Instead, the process and the skills shown by younger players are more important.
"[The] Summer League environment makes guys do things that they won't normally have to do," Pacers All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton said over the weekend. "I think Jarace [Walker] is looked at and other guys are looked at to score more or do different things that they won't have to do during the season and stuff like that. That's the good part about being a young player in the NBA. You get to experiment," he added of some specifics. Haliburton was, in general, impressed by his younger teammates in Las Vegas.
As the Pacers get ready for a season in which they hope to take a step forward and make the playoffs, a few important things can be taken away from their time in the desert.
Jarace Walker has a motor
Indiana Pacers lottery pick Jarace Walker showed off just about everything the Pacers said he could in Summer League play.
The team was high on his defensive abilities in the NBA Draft, but they also valued his shot creation upside and high-IQ play style. In all four of Walker's games, he showed those skills.
In a quartet of games, Walker had 13 assists, five steals, and five blocks. He handled the ball and pushed it in transition while blowing up plays on defense. And he did it while playing multiple positions.
"You see his activity defensively. He's a special defensive player," Haliburton said. It was his first chance to see the rookie forward play five-on-five at the pro level.
Walker's shooting efficiency was poor, but the rest of his game was impressive. He showed why the Pacers drafted him and had no quit.
Bennedict Mathurin had some bumps in the road
Bennedict Mathurin continues to say the right things. He wants to be the best two-way player in the league, genuinely. He wants to be coached hard. Whatever it takes to be the best version of Mathurin, he will do it.
In Las Vegas, his defensive growth was clear. He did well containing pick-and-rolls and stayed in front of his matchups. But his offensive game had some bumps as he tried to grow.
He forced up a few ill-advised shots, which hurt his efficiency. Mathurin had six assists in his second outing, which is encouraging since the Pacers want him to grow in that area, but he had zero assists in the first game and finished with a 1:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. He shot 35.1% from the field.
It wasn't the Summer League Mathurin would have hoped for. Overall, his efficiency was still solid because of his best skill — his ability to get to the foul line. He went 14/15 from the charity stripe, and that will be a strength for him all season. His best attacks in isolation still looked deadly, too.
Mathurin did show that he can still score and had some defensive growth. But there weren't obvious signs of improvement as a playmaker or jump shooter, though it was an extremely small sample size.
The Pacers emphasized defense
Defense was a clear point of emphasis for the young Pacers team in Vegas. Coaches could be heard shouting out instructions and coverages during games. Many members of the roster discussed defense in their media availability. At almost every turn, defense was a theme.
When the blue and gold were at their best in UNLV's facilities, it was because they were defending well. They had great offensive moments, too, but their defense stood out in their best quarters.
"We're looking closely at the defense," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said at halftime of the first game.
Indiana conceded 84 points per game in their first two outings with a full roster, which would have ranked as the third-best defense out of every squad in Vegas. But that number tumbled all the way down to sixth-worst after the battles were completed as the team struggled without its top talents.
Given the context, it was a fine defensive performance for the blue and gold in Summer League, but they would have liked to see consistently better play on that end with defense being a focus heading into next year.
Andrew Nembhard is headed for a big year
Second-year guard Andrew Nembhard looked too good for Summer League.
He controlled the pace, got to his spots, and basically did whatever he wanted. He had 35 points and 15 assists across two performances, and he was never rushed. Nobody could contain him.
Nembhard defended well, too, as he showed off that he is a talented young guard. Haliburton joked with the Pacers front office after the team's first game that Nembhard didn't need to be playing. He was too good.
Nembhard will take the reps, especially at point guard. He didn't play there much last season. But he looked great in those moments, and that bodes well for a strong second NBA season.
Isaiah Jackson's strengths and weaknesses were on display
Pacers center Isaiah Jackson was hoping to grow as a player and leader for the Pacers in Summer League play.
His experience made him an asset to younger players during the exhibitions, and his best skills were still obvious. He can fly. Around the rim, his athleticism makes him a weapon on both ends of the court. His speed is elite. In general, Jackson thrives in moments where he can use his athleticism.
But he did still show the same weaknesses he has since being drafted. He didn't get to expand his game much away from the rim, and he fouled like crazy (14 times in two games) on defense.
Jackson showed important growth on the offensive glass, and he willingly took a few jumpers. His Summer League play did show that he is taking steps forward. But big picture, the same strengths and weaknesses that the 21-year old has had since entering the league stood out in Las Vegas.
The Pacers won't play another game until preseason action in October.
- Tyrese Haliburton hosts basketball camp in Indianapolis, talks Indiana Pacers offseason and Summer League. CLICK HERE.
- Jarace Walker exclusive: On his early time with the Indiana Pacers, gaming, development, and more. CLICK HERE.
- Reports: Indiana Pacers have 'reached out' about Pascal Siakam trade with Toronto Raptors. CLICK HERE.
- Bennedict Mathurin shows strengths and growth areas for Indiana Pacers during Summer League play. CLICK HERE.
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