Summer League has a way of fooling everybody. One night it looks like a player is on the verge of something, the next it’s all missed shots, loose possessions, and a reminder that this basketball is more about evaluation than beauty. For the Indiana Pacers, though, those summer runs have occasionally offered a first glimpse of players who later became much more than roster filler.
That matters now because Indiana has already made some interesting moves this summer, and the setup points toward a rebound season. The Pacers’ core will drive that, but some of the names fans know best once had their own rough or revealing moments in Summer League before they became part of the bigger picture.
Andrew Nembhard is the most recent example. The second-round pick appeared in all five games before his rookie year, and the numbers were ugly: six points per game, 35% shooting from the field, and 21% from three.
A year later, the story looked very different. In just two games, he jumped to 17 points per contest with similar but slightly better efficiency.
Pascal Siakam’s Summer League path was shorter, but it still showed growth. He played one game after being drafted, then came back the next year and hit 36.4% from deep after not making a single three the first time around.
Ivica Zubac gives the clearest example of how a player can keep building over multiple summers. The Croatian big man logged two Summer Leagues with the Los Angeles Lakers, who eventually won the Summer League Championship, and he averaged just over 10 points per game across 13 total games.
The point is simple: Summer League stats can be noisy, and early labels don’t always stick. A player who looks like a shot-chucker, a project, or an immobile big can end up being something entirely different once the real season starts.
That’s why Rienk Mast’s showing in yesterday’s 99-93 Pacers win is worth noting. The Dutch big man led Indiana in that game, and there’s plenty of precedent for players using this stage to show growth rather than final answers.
For now, it’s enough to enjoy the basketball for what it is and get a little too excited about Jalen Slawson, while knowing Tyrese Halliburton will be back soon enough for the Pacers’ real basketball to start again.
In Other News...
Pacers May Have Found A Summer League Big They Can't Ignore
Indianas summer league group has already given the front office a little bit of everything, from an overtime loss to the Sixers to a win over the Cavaliers, but one of the quieter developments has been the play of Rienk Mast. The 6-foot-10 forward has brought a steady inside presence while working on an Exhibit-10 deal, and his recent showing gave the Pacers another look at a player who has spent time in Europe and in college at Bradley and Nebraska.
Masts path has been anything but ordinary, and that matters for a team always searching for useful depth at the margins of the roster. He has already shown enough in this setting to put himself in the conversation for a two-way contract or a G-League spot, and with Indiana still sorting through its summer league options, his mix of size and experience is hard to overlook. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Just Made Another Tough Depth Call After Nance Move
Micah Potters run with the Pacers ended the same way a lot of roster-fight stories do in late summer, with a team trying to balance usefulness against flexibility. The five-year NBA veteran had his best statistical season in Indiana, averaging 9.7 points and five rebounds in 47 appearances, and his offense gave the Pacers a workable depth option at center.
Still, Indiana chose to move on after adding Larry Nance Jr., a move that brought more positional versatility and helped the front office trim salary near the first apron. Potter was always more of a fringe rotation piece than a nightly answer because of the defensive questions, so the Pacers opted for the cleaner roster fit even if it meant giving up a player who had carved out a real role. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Just Got An Uncomfortable Early Look At A Real Problem
Las Vegas Summer League is supposed to be about first impressions, and the Pacers got one they probably would have preferred to avoid. In a 100-93 loss, the player taken No. 22 in the draft carved them up for a game-high 24 points, adding 6 assists, 3 rebounds and a steal while controlling the game in a way Indiana could not quite answer.
For a roster trying to sort out who can hold up on the perimeter and who can keep an offense from getting comfortable, that kind of showing lands with some extra weight. It was only one game in July, but it was also the sort of early look that can expose a real issue before the Pacers have much time to smooth it over. [Read more 🡒]