Biggest Takeaways From Day 2 of Pacers Training Camp

INDIANAPOLIS -- After a strong first day of Training Camp, Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle felt that day two was even better.

From an impressive showing by the starters to Kelly Oubre Jr. making his impact felt already and Braden Smith adding a significant amount of “good weight”, here are three takeaways from Day 2 of Pacers training camp.

Starters impress in Wednesday's practice

starters pacers — Pacers Starting 5 at Media Day | Pacers.com

"I thought today was better than yesterday," Carlisle said of the team's performance at practice. "I thought yesterday was a good day, and I thought today was even better."

The main reason was that the starting five had a much better showing.

“The gold team, which is our starters, really picked it up and really dominated today," Carlisle said. "Yesterday, they didn't have a great day, so there was some progress made."

But it wasn’t just the starting five that played well.

"I thought the blue and the green team both did a good job too," Carlisle said of the Pacers reserves.

Kelly Oubre Jr. brings edge that Pacers need

KOJ — Kelly Oubre Jr. shoots the ball over Andrew Nembhard at Pacers practice. | Pacers.com

One of the members of the blue team that stood out in today's practice was recently acquired wing, Kelly Oubre Jr.

“He had a great day today," Carlisle said of Oubre's second day. "He had a large impact on practice on both ends."

The 12-year veteran is already making his presence felt in practice, thanks to his shot-making abilities and defensive upside.

"He shot the ball really well. Defensively, he's sticky, he's tough, he's difficult to screen and he's an edgy competitor," Carlisle said. "He's exactly what we need."

Braden Smith is in great shape; added 15-16 pounds of muscle

Braden Smith answers questions from the media | Pacers YouTube

When it comes to rookie point guard Braden Smith, Carlisle had a lot of positive things to say about his offensive skill set.

"He's getting better. He's worked very very hard," Carlisle said. "He's got so many unique qualities as a point guard. His knowledge of the game, his vision. He's got a knack for getting shots off in tight areas of the court. And he's really good at making the late pass to a wide-open teammate."

When it comes to overcoming his size limitations, Carlisle thinks Smith has to "make it a 94-foot game and not a 50-foot game." Applying full-court pressure is something he is capable of excelling at thanks to his speed, quickness, and knowledge.

But just how fast is the speedy Smith? According to Carlisle, he's in such great shape that he had to end their conditioning test before Smith failed.

"We have a conditioning test that we did the Monday before Media Day," Carlisle said. "The minimum number of segments you gotta get to is 11 and he outlasted everybody. He was on the 15th segment and I stopped it."

Smith was later asked about the conditioning test and he said it was something he had to do in elementary school.

"We actually did it in elementary school for P.E. class. It's called the Pacer test," Smith said. "I wouldn't say that's why I was good --I didn't take it that seriously in P.E.-- but when you play basketball it's important to be in shape, especially as a point guard, trying to help people on the floor."

When it comes to getting in top-tier condition, Smith revealed that it's a healthy balance of going "super hard" during practice and then resting when you're away from the court. Smith admitted that he could've went another five minutes in Carlisle's conditioning drill.

But the most noteworthy thing Smith shared was the amount of weight he has added since getting drafted in June.

"What helps defensively is obviously gaining weight and muscle, and I think I'm up 15 or 16 pounds since I've been here," Smith said. "I put on a lot of good weight. Defensively, taking bumps, being able to guard. You're playing against the best players in the world and it's not gonna come easy."

Final Thoughts

Coach answers questions after practice. | Pacers YouTube

Day 2 was a step in the right direction for several Pacers as the expected key contributors took their game to another level.

The inclusion of Zubac into the starting five is slowly but surely developing, Oubre is providing a much-needed edginess to the second unit, and Smith is turning heads with his conditioning and added muscle.

The Pacers will not be practicing on Thursday.

You can follow me on X @AlexGoldenNBA and listen to my daily podcast, Setting The Pace, wherever you get your podcasts.

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