logo
Bulked-Up Pacers Wing Johnny Furphy Attacking Basket, Growth In Summer

Bulked-Up Pacers Wing Johnny Furphy Attacking Basket, Growth In Summer

Forbes14-07-2025
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - APRIL 11: Johnny Furphy #12 of the Indiana Pacers attempts a shot in the ... More third quarter against the Orlando Magic at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on April 11, 2025 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by)
LAS VEGAS – 21 seconds into the Indiana Pacers first 2025 summer league game, young wing Johnny Furphy took the ball and drove the cup. He finished in the lane and opened the scoring in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Furphy contiued to attack early in that outing and was putting together a solid performance before getting elbowed in the eye. He exited with just over nine minutes of play acummulated before Quenton Jackson stole the show. Yet in less than 10 minutes, the 20-year old Pacers wing showed more pop and strength than he displayed as a rookie. Furphy's growth, both in skill and size, was obvious.
His added bulk was revealed by President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard last week. 'Our second-round pick Furphy, he's gained 20 pounds,' Pritchard said. 'He's been the best player out on our practice [floor]The Kansas product used that added size to get to the cup early in summer league play. His agility and awareness helped him get to the rim last year, but now Furphy is overwhelming defenders in his offseason exhibitions. It's a new skill made possible because of his growing body.
Indiana selected Furphy with the 35th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. They sent assets to the San Antonio Spurs in order to get the Australian wing because they believed in his potential. As a rookie, Furphy played in 50 games for the Pacers and averaged 2.1 points per game.
Now, entering year two, the youngster may feature more prominently in the nightly plans of the blue and gold. He currently projects to be just outside of the team's rotation, but injuries or transactions should give Furphy more total playing time in his second campaign. And if he's going to play, he needs to be stronger.
What has Johnny Furphy shown for the Pacers in summer league so far?
So far, so good as he's shown in summer league. 'He was keeping us afloat,' Pacers summer league head coach Isaac Yacob said of Furphy's limited minutes in that first outing against Cleveland.
Two days later, Furphy had another chance to show off his improved ability to attack the basket, and how his size will be beneficial. With the Pacers taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday, the young wing was back in the lineup and eager to make an impact. He was focused during warmups and at the start of the action.
After getting into the paint a few times early in the game, Furphy's loudest success came halfway through the first quarter. In that instance, he pulled in a rebound and gave the ball up. Furphy then raced up the floor and was given a pass from rookie Taelon Peter. Now armed with momentum and space, Furphy dribbled behind his back around a defender, then threw down a strong dunk that sent the Pacers bench to their feet in celebration.
Indiana Pacers' Johnny Furphy (12) shoots over Brooklyn Nets' Dennis Schroder during the second half ... More of an NBA basketball game, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin II)
It was his third points of the game at the time, and the first one came off of a foul shot after getting hacked on a drive. The Thunder couldn't keep Furphy from the basket early.
'Just trying to be as aggressive as possible,' Furphy said of his summer league approach. 'I think it's a really good opportunity for me to kind of have the ball in my hands a little bit more and just be aggressive.'
In his second outing, a loss vs the Thunder, Furphy made five of his six two-point shots and earned a trip to the foul line. He had multiple assists that came after getting into the paint, too. His jumper wasn't falling – he went 0/6 on threes – but he still found ways to impact the game with that aforementioned aggression.
He finished with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. 'Definitely how much time he's putting into his game and his body. Like I said in camp, he's one of the strongest, most athletic dudes on our team and improved since the day he stepped into our organization,' Yacob said of Furphy's year-over-year development. 'He's a worker, he's a workaholic. Comes in early in the morning, works, stays late. So just the growth, he keeps growing and is going to continue to grow.'
Every shot Furphy made against OKC was from nine feet away or closer. He's emerging as more than an finesse player, and that is both due to his mentality and added weight. He can get by defenders using both athleticism and strength in a way that he couldn't during summer league last year.
Through two summer league games, with one of them abbreviated due to injury, Furphy is averaging 9.5 points per game on 50% shooting. He's sprinkled in 3.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists per night, tidy across the board numbers for a guy currently posting just 19 minutes per contest.
Furphy has been trying to add bulk for a while since he was a late developer. He wants to fill out his body and has been in the weight room constantly. With the Pacers in the playoffs in recent months, the two-year pro focused on things he could control – the amount of time he spent in the gym, his development, and his diet – in order to get better.
He wants to continue growing, which is more than possible at his age. So far, the added size hasn't changed Furphy's play at all. It's been purely additive, which Yacob appreciates.
'The rare part that's good that Furphy has done – those 20 pounds, he's become more athletic with them,' he said. 'Jump testing and all the stuff we do. He does a great job with our strength coach, Eric (Huddleston), who works him out, but. That's the hard part. People gain weight and are not the same player. It's enhanced [Furphy]. Great rebounder, finisher at the rim, and stuff like that.'
Furphy needs to knock down some jump shots, and his defense (like every Pacers player in summer league so far) has been a mixed bag. He's coughed the ball up five times in two games. There's still plenty for the youngster to focus on.
But he feels like he's just scratching the surface of his potential, and his newfound bulk already appears to be paying off. For the Pacers, the next step is bringing those improvements from the summer league floor to the NBA court. 'I think I'm very far away from where I will be in a few years time,' Furphy said. 'I've just gotta keep working.'
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Jalen Williams pays homage to Kobe Bryant in social media post
Jalen Williams pays homage to Kobe Bryant in social media post

USA Today

time21 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Jalen Williams pays homage to Kobe Bryant in social media post

A little over a month since they captured an NBA championship, the Oklahoma City Thunder continue to flex their achievement. Hard to blame them, either. When you win a ring, you get an entire summer to run victory laps. While Jalen Williams recovers from wrist surgery, he took to social media to remind folks what he went through. He battled through a torn wrist ligament during the Thunder's playoff run. Williams' postseason journey was highlighted by a 40-point explosion in Game 5 of the 2025 NBA Finals. All without making a peep about the painful injury that required numb shots every pregame. He only talked about after Sam Presti announced the upcoming surgery that'll knock him out until near training camp. Williams posted a side-by-side photo of himself with Kobe Bryant. Both players wore pajamas at the free-throw line with one hand on the ball. The other hand had a wrist wrap around it. The latter's photo was at a 1999 practice when he learned to shoot with one hand after he sustained a hand fracture. Williams has never been shy about his super fandom of Bryant. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar was a generation's favorite player. The 24-year-old was around the age range to see his last best years, so it shouldn't be a shocker to see him have such an influence on the All-NBA player. Now, Williams and Bryant both share something else in common — An NBA championship.

Derek Fisher is joining the new broadcast team for the NBA on NBC
Derek Fisher is joining the new broadcast team for the NBA on NBC

USA Today

time21 minutes ago

  • USA Today

Derek Fisher is joining the new broadcast team for the NBA on NBC

This coming season, the NBA will return to NBC after a 23-year hiatus. That means that fans will get to hear that timeless "Roundball Rock" theme song on a regular basis throughout the season. No, Marv Albert and Bob Costas will not be handling broadcasts as they did in the 1990s and early 2000s. But NBC has assembled a solid cast of play-by-play announcers, color commentators and analysts. On Thursday, the network announced that it has added several more talented individuals who are former NBA players to that cast. One of them is Derek Fisher, a guard who won five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers alongside the late great Kobe Bryant. Fisher, like Bryant, was a member of that famed 1996 draft class. It took him a little while, but he became a key role player for the Purple and Gold as they won the first three world titles of the 21st century. After two seasons with the Golden State Warriors and one with the Utah Jazz, he returned to the Lakers in 2007 and earned two more rings in 2009 and 2010. Fans remember him for hitting key 3-pointers, especially in the playoffs, and for his grittiness and leadership.

Kelsey Mitchell scores 21 points and Fever beat Aces 80-70 without Caitlin Clark
Kelsey Mitchell scores 21 points and Fever beat Aces 80-70 without Caitlin Clark

Hamilton Spectator

time44 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Kelsey Mitchell scores 21 points and Fever beat Aces 80-70 without Caitlin Clark

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Kelsey Mitchell scored 21 points, Natasha Howard and Aliyah Boston had double-doubles, and the Indiana Fever beat the Las Vegas Aces 80-70 on Thursday night. Indiana's Caitlin Clark remains sidelined with a groin injury, and the Fever said Thursday there was no timetable for her return . No further injuries were discovered during medical tests this week. Howard finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Boston had 13 points and 10 boards. Sophie Cunningham scored 15 points. A'ja Wilson, who averaged 31.7 points in the Aces' three-game winning streak, led Las Vegas (12-12) with 20 points. Jackie Young scored 19 and NaLyssa Smith had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Indiana (13-12) had lost two in a row, both against defending champion New York — one before the All-Star break and one following the break. Howard scored 11 points in the third quarter, leading a 27-point effort by the Fever for a 62-56 lead entering the fourth. Indiana held Las Vegas to two points in a four-minute stretch of the final period and the Fever were up 69-62 with 4 1/2 minutes remaining. The lead was 75-70 after Jewell Loyd scored for Las Vegas, but the Aces went the final 94 seconds without a point. Aari McDonald hit a 3-pointer and Cunningham added two free throws to finish it off. Indiana led for most of the first quarter and the Fever had an 18-12 advantage with 1:40 remaining. Las Vegas made 6 of 7 free throws down the stretch to tie it at 18 heading to the second quarter. Wilson scored six of the first eight points of the second quarter and the Aces built a 26-18 lead. After the Aces fell behind 33-29, a 3-pointer by Loyd started a 12-2 run and they led 41-35 at halftime. Up next Las Vegas: At Minnesota on Friday. Indiana: At Chicago on Sunday. ___ AP WNBA:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store