Rienk Mast is the kind of training camp invite that makes more sense when you zoom out from the box score and look at the Pacers’ depth chart.
Indiana is headed into next season with a thin group behind Ivica Zubac, and that is exactly why a player like Mast matters, even if only as an insurance policy. The Pacers already have Jay Huff and veteran Larry Nance Jr. on the roster, but Nance is not expected to be a real playing option at this stage of his career. He was brought in to help guide the younger guys through the season, the same kind of role he has filled in stops with the Portland Trail Blazers, Atlanta Hawks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
That leaves the Pacers light at center, even with Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin capable of handling some small-ball minutes. So while Mast is only on a training camp deal, he could still serve as the emergency answer if things get messy.
What Mast brings is simple enough to see. He is an undersized center with defensive issues, but he can score, shoot, and rebound at a respectable level.
He flashed those traits during summer league, where he was arguably Indiana’s second-best player throughout the event. He is not a finished product, and he is not excellent in any one area, but he can be useful.
A fair comparison might be Jay Huff: a big who can stretch the floor, attack a bit, rebound, and give you competent backup minutes without being asked to carry anything major.
Mast’s road to an NBA job is still steep. Indiana signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, where he was a steady presence for a long stretch.
Before college, the Dutch big man won everything in the youth leagues in his home country, then came to the United States and played six seasons in college. He is 25 now, which gives him a little more runway than some prospects, but the most likely outcome is that he spends much of the season with the Noblesville Boom in the G League.
The Pacers’ three two-way spots are already filled by Braden Smith, Kobe Brown, and Jalen Slawson, so Mast is not in line for that path. An Exhibit-10 deal would make sense, but it would not exactly open a clean NBA lane for him.
Still, that does not close the book on his career. Plenty of undrafted players have found a way to stick, and if Mast is one of them, it would fit neatly into a proud Dutch-Pacers connection. It would also count as the franchise’s first developmental success story since Andrew Nembhard.
In Other News...
Pacers Are Leaning On James Johnson For More Than Depth
The Pacers brought back James Johnson on a training camp deal, adding a familiar veteran to a group that has already spent the summer reworking its depth chart. Johnson has been out of the league for a year, but Indiana clearly sees value beyond what he might provide on the floor, with the move aimed just as much at stabilizing the locker room as at filling out the roster.
Johnsons role is expected to center on leadership and mentorship for the Pacers younger players, a useful presence for a team trying to keep its development on track. There is also some thought that he could end up on the coaching staff, which would allow Indiana to keep his voice around the program without using up a roster spot. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Already Face A Tough Braden Smith Development Decision
Braden Smiths first steps as a pro are already being mapped out by the Pacers, and the plan sounds more developmental than immediate. During a preseason press conference, Indiana general manager Chad Buchanan and assistant general manager Ted Wu laid out how the former Purdue point guard, taken with the No. 38 pick, figures into the organizations long view as he adjusts to the speed and spacing of the NBA game.
For Indiana, the priority is finding him the kind of minutes he would not get right away at the top level, which is why much of his rookie season is expected to be spent with the Noblesville Boom. The Pacers want Smith to get real playing time and build toward a different role than the one he held in college, a transition that should help him before he is asked to contribute in a more limited NBA setting. [Read more 🡒]
Pacers Are Already Framing Zu As Their Answer At Center
The Pacers did not sound like a team casually adding a big man when Chad Buchanan and Ted Wu met with the media to discuss the front offices decision to trade for Ivica Zubac. They framed the move as a deliberate answer to a glaring need, pointing to the center spot as a key position the roster had to address. Just as important, both executives stressed that Zubacs game fits the way Indiana wants to play, which is the kind of alignment teams spend all summer chasing.
Zubac is already giving the Pacers an early start on figuring that out, having returned from international play ahead of schedule and begun working with the club before the season. For Indiana, that matters as much as the transaction itself, because every extra day helps a new center settle into the system and build chemistry with the rest of the roster. The front office clearly sees him as more than a stopgap, but the real test will come once the games start and the fit has to hold up under pressure. [Read more 🡒]