Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan on second-round pick Isaiah Wong: 'He's a very steady, solid guard'
Isaiah Wong was the Indiana Pacers final pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The team selected the University of Miami guard with the 55th overall pick, a worthy slot for a player with Wong's resume.
In his final season with the Hurricane, Wong averaged 16.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game. He canned 38.4% of his three-point looks, the best mark he produced at the NCAA level. During March Madness, he shined and helped his team reach the Final Four. It was a successful final collegiate season for the New Jersey native.
"We had two picks in the second round last night, Mojave King and Isaiah Wong are not here today. But I want to acknowledge them. We're excited about both of those guys and adding them to our program," Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said last week.
Wong spent four years with Miami, where he grew from a bench player to one of the team's key ball handlers. His outside shot and passing were clearly better during his final season with the program, two important skills for his NBA growth.
He also upped his steal rate and free throw rate as a senior. The 22-year old improved every year, which is attractive to NBA clubs, and he ironed out some very important skills throughout his final season. Altogether, that made him a prospect worth taking a chance on.
Wong performed a pre-draft workout for the Pacers on May 31, one of the earlier auditions in the process. He had a session with the Utah Jazz not long after. That pre-draft performance in Indiana went well, and he gelled with the franchise.
"I can score, I can play defense at the other end," the guard said of what he showed at the St Vincent Center. He stayed focused on his interview despite a different draft prospect waving at him in the background.
The Pacers like having guards on two-way contracts, and while it isn't known yet exactly what deal Wong will sign, a two-way deal makes sense given where he was drafted. If he does agree to that, he would split time between Indiana and its G League affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, where he could work on refining his game.
Last year, the two ball handlers that the blue and gold had on two-way deals were Trevelin Queen and Gabe York. Wong might be next.
It will be important for the rookie guard to prove he can distribute and hit threes at the pro level. That was something he found important to show at his Pacers workout. "I feel like my consistent three-point shot," he said.
He will have his first chance to show those skills in Summer League. Wong, and the rest of the Pacers 2023 draftees, are on the team's Summer League roster and will begin a mini camp in a few days. That is the first chance many players will have to show their abilities to Pacers brass.
Wong will be sharing ball handling duties with Andrew Nembhard, Eli Brooks, and Darius McGhee for the Summer League group. That means Wong could get some reps both on and off the ball, which will be valuable for his growth.
"Isaiah Wong is a guy who is a very accomplished player from a very strong program. University of Miami has won a lot of games," Buchanan shared last Friday. "He's a very steady, solid guard that we liked throughout the process, throughout the last couple of years at Miami. He had a good workout for us. Enjoyed his personality and [he] just felt like a good fit."
The Pacers current front office has found success late in the second round with guys like Edmond Sumner and Alize Johnson. Perhaps Isaiah Wong could be their next hit.
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