NBA Eastern Conference title futures: Pacers, Cavs
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Indianapolis Star
5 hours ago
- Indianapolis Star
'He's just kind of an offensive savant.' How Kam Jones' senior year set him up to provide Pacers PG depth
INDIANAPOLIS – Kam Jones wasn't recruited to play point guard, and if Marquette was fully healthy last season, he probably never would have. The 6-4, 200-pound left-hander made his bones as a high scoring 2-guard at every level. At the Evangelical Christian School in Memphis he averaged 20.4 points points per game as a junior and 20.0 as a senior to earn Mr. Basketball honors in Tennessee's Division II Class A. For his first three years at Marquette, he played off the ball while Tyler Kolek ran point as Kolek led the Big East in assists in each of his last two seasons and earned All-America honors as a senior. But when Kolek left for the NBA and was drafted by the Knicks, the Golden Eagles had a hole. It was supposed to be filled by backup Sean Jones, but he tore his ACL in January of 2024 and ended up taking a redshirt this past season. So Kam Jones moved over and the experience ended up making a better player and one perfectly suited for what the Pacers would need in the 2025 draft. The Pacers traded their first-round pick to reacquire their pick for 2026, not thinking they'd have much room to find playing time for a rookie after their first run to the NBA Finals in 25 years with most of their key pieces set to return. However, All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton's Achilles tendon tear in Game 7 of the Finals left them in need of temporary depth at the point. The Pacers traded back up into the draft to get the No. 38 overall pick in the second round and took Jones, who can add point depth this year, but just as easily move back to the 2 in the future. 'Really hard not to like Taelon Peter.' Draft's biggest surprise has purpose bigger than basketball Insider: How Kam Jones can answer Pacers' biggest backcourt question "Obviously with (Kolek) in there, I played the 2 a lot and played off the ball a little bit more," Jones said Sunday after practice for the Pacers' NBA Summer League team. "Having to have the ball in my hands really gave me a bunch of reps at being a point guard. It really helped my game from being a little flexible, can do either or. Whatever the team needs, that's what I'm willing to do." Jones' ability to adapt on fly to the position was one of the things that most impressed Marquette coach Shaka Smart during his time there. Jones focused immediately on his weak points and the parts of the job he hadn't executed before and learned what he had to do to involve others in the offense. His senior year was the best of his four years at Marquette as he averaged career-highs in points (19.2), assists (5.9) and rebounds (4.5). "He did a really good job of being intentional about the areas of the game you have to focus on when you play that position," Smart told IndyStar. "Intentionality with passing, with reading pick-and-rolls, different two-man actions with teammates understanding now that I'm the point guard, it's not just about coming off to score, it's about creating for other guys as well." Jones always had a natural desire to see other people succeed, so getting him to invest in his teammates' success wasn't that difficult. But he did have to learn about how to use the tools at a point guard and senior leader's disposal to make that happen. He needed better vision, better understanding of passing angles and also improved communication. He improved on all of the above. "It was more about understanding how to impact others," Smart said. "He's always had a willingness to make the people around him better, now at the point guard position and as the best player and a senior leader, he was more vocal than he's ever been. There was more accountability from him than there had ever been. He had always been a player who was about winning, but the player accountability before his senior year didn't typically come from him. In his senior year he made a really good jump with that. But honestly, his receptivity to what I was asking him to do made it simple for him doing to things we were wanting him to do." Adding the necessary tools to be a point guard only strengthened Jones' already impressive skill set. By the end of his freshman year, Smart had already determined Jones was the most gifted scorer on the roster even though he averaged a modest 7.4 points per game in 18.5 minutes per game, mostly off the bench. He started every game as a sophomore and averaged 15.1 points per game. Then as a junior he averaged 17.2 per game, shooting 50.1% from the floor and 40.6% from 3-point range. As a senior, his efficiency went down as his volume went up, but he was still the second leading scorer in the Big East behind Villanova's Eric Dixon. He helped Marquette win 24 games and earn a NCAA tournament bid before they lost to New Mexico in the first round. "He just has a lot of tricks up his sleeve," Smart said. "He's a very crafty ball-handler and finisher. He has a really good feel for impacting the defense with fakes and with nuances. He's got an incredible spin move, which I'm excited to see will that be as effective at the pro level. You're talking about better defenders and more length, but it was pretty much unstoppable at the college level. He's just kind of an offensive savant. And I'm Joe College Coach, but offense comes easy to him. He gets the spacing, he gets the timing, he gets the four guys on the court. He's a very, very good cutter. The scoring part comes pretty naturally to him." Defense hasn't been as natural in part because Marquette has asked so much from him on the offensive end. Smart's teams are primarily known for defensive pressure and Jones had to brings some of that. However, Smart noted Jones hasn't had to put the same level of focus on defense. To get on the floor in the NBA, he won't have a choice. "We obviously emphasized playing hard and getting after it, but we asked Kam to do so much on offense," Smart said. "I don't know if it was realistic to ask him to be our most desperate defender. I've coached guys before who were prolific scorers or offensive players in college. They get up there and if you want to stick around, you better guard at a high level because there's Tyrese Haliburton and there's Pascal Siakam, and there's other super-talented offensive players on that team and there are guys that understand that they have to play a role that starts on the defensive end and that will certainly be Kam to start his career." For now as the Pacers summer squad approaches its first game Thursday in Las Vegas, his offensive skill and versatility still promises to get him his first looks. Though he's dealing with a hamstring injury, the Pacers already like the options he gives them. "It's being dynamic," said Pacers assistant Isaac Yacob, who is serving as the Summer League team's head coach. "That just adds a layer to his game and to the team. Where he can say, 'Hey, I can play off ball and catch and be aggressive or I can lead a team and get people in the situation where they need to be in."
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Indiana Pacers 宣佈 Tyrese Haliburton 因跟腱撕裂將缺席 2025-26 NBA 賽季
為了確保 Tyrese Haliburton 的長期健康，球隊不會讓他急於明年復出，杜絕任何不切實際的期待。 Indiana Pacers 王牌控衛 Tyrese Haliburton 因右腳跟腱撕裂，將缺席整個 2025-26 NBA 球季。 傷勢發生於剛落幕的總決賽 Game 7，當時 Pacers 不敵 Oklahoma City Thunder。 Indiana Pacers 近日正式宣佈其明星控衛 Tyrese Haliburton 因右腳跟腱撕裂，將缺席整個 2025-26 NBA 賽季。溜馬籃球運營總裁 Kevin Pritchard 明確表示為了確保 Haliburton 的長期健康，球隊不會讓他於明年復出，杜絕任何不切實際的期待。 這場毀滅性的傷病發生在最近 NBA 總決賽第七場的第一節，當時溜馬不敵 Oklahoma City Thunder。核磁共振檢查證實了跟腱撕裂的診斷，這位 25 歲的球星隨即接受手術。雖然手術順利，但球隊選擇採取謹慎的復健策略，優先考慮他的完全康復。Pritchard 強調：「他明年不會上場，我們絕不會拿他的健康冒險。」 Tyrese Haliburton 從醫院病床上透過 X 向球迷發表了一則感性貼文，為讓球迷失望致歉，並承諾「會全力以赴回到這個位置」。他的缺陣加上 Myles Turner 的離隊，讓溜馬在即將到來的賽季面臨重大挑戰，失去兩位核心先發的他們勢必進入重建階段。球迷對這位年輕球星的回歸充滿期待，但目前球隊的重心將放在穩健的未來規劃上。 相關報導 > Chris Paul 直言或將於 2025-26 賽季後高掛球鞋退休 > 走進 Jordan Brand 一對一籃球錦標賽「THE ONE」台北站 > Nike Basketball 率先預覽 SNKRS 2025-2026 最新發售鞋款
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pacers labeled ‘cheap' for Myles Turner decision by ESPN insiders
The post Pacers labeled 'cheap' for Myles Turner decision by ESPN insiders appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Milwaukee Bucks made a surprising move on the second day of free agency, as they signed Myles Turner, stealing him away from the Indiana Pacers. Though it was a big move for the Bucks, many people were shocked that the Pacers let him walk, especially after their playoff run that led them one win away from being NBA champions. Advertisement It was obvious that the deciding factor was money, and the Pacers were trying to stay under the tax. That probably led to Turner being lowballed, and he went with the option that gave him the most money, which was the Bucks. With that move, people are calling the Pacers cheap, including ESPN's Tim Bontemps. 'The Pacers were being cheap and trying to play hardball, and it blew up in their face, and now they have no way to come back from it this year,' Bontemps said on The Hoop Collective. 'Maybe they can sign Deandre Ayton or some other person, but they're not Myles Turner. There isn't a Myles Turner replacement in the market. It's just a bummer, all the way around.' With Ayton gone, the Pacers' options are short in free agency, and it will be interesting to see how they upgrade the position. Advertisement Why the Pacers let Myles Turner walk Staying under the tax may have been one of the reasons why the Pacers didn't want to pay Turner, but they're also justifying the decision because of Tyrese Haliburton's injury, according to The Athletic. 'However, Indiana was already facing the likelihood next season of playing without Haliburton, who tore his Achilles about seven minutes into Game 7 of the finals, and decided it didn't want to 'overpay' for Turner now, a team source said,' The Athletic wrote. 'The Pacers had signaled a willingness to pay the luxury tax as the offseason neared, but changed that stance in the wake of Haliburton's injury.' This must be rough for the Pacers fans, as Turner was the longest-tenured player on the team and has seen them through the ups and downs. He was a key reason for the Pacers making it to the NBA Finals, and it makes it worse that they didn't have a replacement for him when he left for the Bucks. Advertisement With Haliburton most likely missing most of next season, things were already going to be hard, but now with Turner gone, it's hard to see how they'll be as competitive as they've been. Related: Bucks slammed for 'reckless' Damian Lillard strategy to get Myles Turner Related: NBA rumors: How Pacers are defending Myles Turner leaving for Bucks
