'It shows what we're building:' How the Core Pacers showed up for the young guys and each other

"Just the little things like this mean something to me." Myles Turner on most of the Pacers being in Las Vegas for Summer League.

LAS VEGAS — Before moving on to the upcoming season, there’s still many stories I want to tell.

About last season, about the makeup of that group, the offseason upgrades and how they’re coming together on a team that is now on the right trajectory — forward.

For the past few seasons, it was a clear rebuild. They’re about to enter Year 3 of it, one that begins with more fan excitement than in recent history and should end with a playoff berth.

Before then, though, there are notable checkpoints. How players perform, build chemistry on the court and show up — for themselves, for fans and for each other.

“The culture is something you have to fight for every day,” head coach Rick Carlisle said last season.

And one of the best indications of their culture came in early July when the majority of the team made it to Las Vegas for summer league. I repeat, the majority.