Keisei Tominaga to join Pacers on Exhibit 10 deal
Tominaga averaged 15 points on 37.6% from outside in his final year at Nebraska. He's currently playing on the Japan National Team.
From playing for a former Indiana Pacers player … to getting your first professional experience with them yourself.
Undrafted Nebraska guard Keisei Tominaga has agreed to join the Pacers on an Exhibit 10 deal, a league source confirms to Fieldhouse Files. The news has also been tweeted by the Husker’s team account.
An Exhibit 10 is often referred to as a training camp deal. It’s a one-year deal for the minimum, and usually includes a bonus should the player be waived and then play for the G League affiliate team. In this case, it’d be the Indiana Mad Ants.
Tominaga — who’s listed at 6-foot-2, 179 pounds — did not come to Indy for a pre-draft workout this year, but he did last year. And it was his first one during the pre-draft process. After declaring for the NBA Draft a year ago, however, he elected to return to Nebraska for his final season in Lincoln.
He worked out for the Kings, Clippers and Bulls last month, then returned to Japan for Olympic training camp. He remains with Japan’s National Team.
And he will not join the Pacers for summer league in Las Vegas due to his national team commitment, per league source.
Tominaga already has signed an endorsement deal with Curry Brand, which is part of Under Armour. His nickname is The Japanese Steph Curry.
Yes, he’s all about shooting.
“He’s a hero in Japan right now,” said Nebraska coach Fred Hoiberg, who played his first 139 NBA games with the Pacers after being their pick at 52 in the 1995 NBA Draft.
The 23-year-old guard started in all 32 games last season. He averaged 15.1 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game. He shot 46.6% from the field, including 37.6% from range. And he was getting up more than six 3-point attempts per game.
Tominaga helped Nebraska to a 23-11 record this past season (including 18-1 at home), good for third in the Big Ten. They lost to Illinois in a semifinal of the Big Ten Tournament, then fell to Texas A&M in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Then on April 4th, at Final Four weekend, he won multiple 3-point shootouts.
Big Ten basketball followers, and especially IU fans, will remember Tominaga erupting for 23 points and draining four 3s to help Nebraska beat IU in the Big Ten Tournament.
For more on Tominaga, watch the BTN feature below.