Jarace Walker begins sophomore season at the 3, leads Pacers in turnover-filled loss
The Summer Pacers faltered late in overtime loss to begin NBA Summer League 2024. Jarace Walker moves to the 3, Oscar Tshiebwe wants more than rebounds, Johnny Furphy starts and more.
LAS VEGAS — The Indiana Pacers had just suffered a late-game collapse, leading for almost the entire game but then losing in overtime.
Jarace Walker, however, understands the big picture.
NBA Summer League in Las Vegas is about big minutes for the young guys, opportunities for some players (and staff members) who deserve it, and the chance to experiment. Yes, they want to win — but experiencing growth is key for each individual.
One year ago, Walker was a 19-year-old lottery pick trying to figure out … well, everything. He played in summer league, was in camp with the Pacers, then split time with the Mad Ants in the G League.
“Most of the time, it’s not quite what they expected,” Rick Carlisle said of rookies during the TV broadcast. “You expect to be given an opportunity, but it’s not quite that simple. Everything had to be earned.”
Walker is much more at ease this year in Las Vegas and it was obvious from the moment the team hit the floor for pre-game warmups. He knew what to do, had a routine and knew just what to expect.
“Definitely way more comfortable, for sure,” he said with a big smile after the game. “Just having that whole year under your belt, you learn a lot. So just being able to take all that in, just learn, develop, and get ready for year two.”
And the same was true for his coach in summer league, Jannero Pargo. The former NBA player turned player development coach aspires to be a head coach one day, but like with these players, it’s a gradual climb. It’s a process and he values the opportunity provided to him by Carlisle.
“A lot more comfortable,” said Pargo, who spent last year trying to find his voice. “Feeling like the work that I put in, the work that our staff has put in, the work that our players put in, it’s been enough to come out here and trust our work. And I think we did that for the most part, just unfortunately for us, and we weren't able to come out with the win.”
The Summer Pacers trailed 8-6 halfway into the first quarter — and that was it. The next time they trailed was in overtime after being outplayed in the second half.
And still, point guard Quenton Jackson was fouled and went to the line with 1.9 seconds left. Then he missed both free throws. Make one and the game is over.
Instead, the Brooklyn Nets defeated them in an overtime session inside Cox Pavilion that utilized the Elam Ending — so the first to seven won.
“We played hard, we didn't necessarily play smart,” Pargo said after the 97-95 loss. “The game is moving pretty fast for a lot of our guys so I think in the second half, we kind of slowed down. But offensively, we turned the ball over way too many times. Playing fast, but not playing smart really hurt us. So we just got to slow down, protect the ball, value the basketball and just get shots at the rim.”
Yes, turnovers held this team back. They had 28 in all, including 10 each in the first and third quarters. Notably, they turned it around and gave it away just once in the fourth quarter and overtime.
“Guys holding on to the ball too long, driving it, not making the extra pass,” Pargo continued. “I thought it got to a point where we were up 13, 14 points and the ball kind of stuck, guys were trying to maybe score a little bit too much instead of continuing to make the right play that we did for most of the game. And I think that caused a lot of our turnovers.
“I think we got tired and we stopped driving the ball as much as we were. And that cut down some of our turnovers as well.”
The Pacers started their first game with Jackson, Ben Sheppard, rookie Johnny Furphy, Walker and Oscar Tshiebwe.
Kendall Brown, who began last season on a two-way deal and ended it on a standard contract, scored 19 points off the bench. He also attempted a game-high nine free throws. This is a critical time for him, too, because he’s a third-year player with a non-guaranteed contract.