The Indiana Pacers are giving Yuki Kawamura another shot, and that alone says plenty about the little guard’s appeal.
Chicago moved on from the former Bulls fan favorite after deciding not to bring him back on another two-way deal, and now Kawamura is headed to Las Vegas Summer League with Indiana. For Bulls fans, it means the end of a short but memorable run. For the Pacers, it’s a chance to see whether there’s enough juice in his game to keep pushing toward a real NBA role.
Kawamura has been beating the odds for a while. He first popped onto the NBA radar in 2023 after becoming draft-eligible following his time at Tokai University in Tokyo and with the Yokohama B-Corsairs.
He won MVP in his first season and also took home Rookie of the Year, but he still went undrafted. The obstacle was obvious: at 5'7", he doesn’t fit the usual NBA mold.
Even so, his creativity kept getting him looks. The Memphis Grizzlies brought him to training camp, then liked enough of what they saw to give him a two-way contract. After that, he landed in Chicago last year and quickly became one of the more entertaining names around the organization.
He was a spark for the Windy City Bulls in the G League, then earned a two-way promotion partway through the season. Kawamura ended up appearing in 18 games for Chicago, mostly in garbage time, and left behind the kind of highlight reel that made people stop and rewind. His defensive effort and toughness were there, but his size was always going to be the problem.
The numbers reflected both the upside and the rough edges. He averaged 11.6 minutes per game, shot 29.7 percent from 3, and still managed 2.6 assists per game, which works out to 8 per-36 minutes.
He also picked up a steal every other game. And yes, he’ll launch from 30 feet without blinking.
Now Indiana gets the first real crack at him. The Pacers still have some roster and two-way decisions to sort out, and Kawamura is trying to turn this Summer League opportunity into something bigger. The path is steep, maybe even a cliff, but the door is open.
His calling card is obvious: flair, fearlessness, and a feel for the game that jumps out immediately. He can get a shot off around NBA length, or find a way to finish through traffic at the rim. It doesn’t always land, but it lands more often than it should.
Chicago decided the limitations were too much. Indiana is betting there’s still more to uncover.
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What makes the analysis sting is that the concerns are not limited to fringe pieces. Olivers numbers also raise questions around Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro and Rob Dillingham, players the Bulls would prefer to see trending upward as the rebuild takes shape. Instead, the data suggests the ceiling may be lower than hoped, with too many rotation candidates flashing the same warning sign regardless of competition level. For a team trying to chart a faster path back to relevance, that is the kind of reality check that can force hard decisions sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]