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Fort Wayne Mad Ants 101 with Upside and Motor’s Chris Reichert

By Ben Gibson

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Indiana Pacers fans might still be getting used to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, but Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor will help guide us through the some of the in’s and outs of the NBA Development League team.

The Indiana Pacers had been working with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in recent years due to proximity, but they had no control over how the team operated. If they would have sent Joe Young down as they had this past weekend to play with the team, there was no guarantee he would get playing time. By purchasing the team this summer, the Indiana Pacers now can truly use the NBA Development League for exactly that: development.

But even for die-hard NBA fans, the NBA Development League can still be a bit of a mystery. With that in mind, we had Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor answer of few questions about how the Mad Ants have been doing this season and how they factor into the Indiana Pacers future.

1. What are the biggest advantages and disadvantages to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants being bought by the Indiana Pacers?

We’re seeing the advantages play out right before our eyes as Rakeem Christmas (2015 2nd rd pick) and Shayne Whittington (undrafted signee) have spent pretty much the full D-League season with Fort Wayne.

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This allows both to improve in areas while earning live-game minutes so that eventually they can come up and be rotational players with the Pacers. That has to be the goal here – get those guys to a point where they can contribute to the Pacers in terms of helping win games and make others on the team better as well. I really don’t see a disadvantage to be honest. The proximity to the team is great and they bought a well-established D-League franchise, with a booming fanbase already in place.

2. Rakeem Christmas won player of the week and appears to be playing well in the Development League 19.8 points and shooting around 50%. He’s a rookie but if there was a spot available has he proved enough to earn a call-up?

Christmas is on assignment from the Pacers, so they can recall him at any time. He wouldn’t earn a traditional call-up as he’s already on their 15-man roster and is simply polishing his game in the D-League. Christmas has been really impressive on the offensive end, but I think he has work to do on the defensive end. I’ve watched multiple games where his effort on that end is less than what would be desired in the NBA.

3. Who else on the team has impressed you so far this season?

Anytime I watch the Mad Ants I’m drawn to Terran Petteway. The team signed him really late to ensure he would be with the Mad Ants as an affiliate player and I loved the move. Petteway is averaging 14.1 points a night while shooting around 43 percent from the field, but he plays with an intensity that you cannot teach.

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He gets after it on both ends of the floor and really does whatever the team needs. He was recently moved to a reserve role after starting most of the season and he didn’t complain one bit. In fact, since moving to the bench he’s been playing more minutes with the second unit which has allowed him to be more aggressive on offense and he’s averaging 18.3 points in only 25 minutes a game. Love his game.

4. Shayne Whittington has played NBA minutes and shot around 45%, but seems to be struggling at times to find his shot in the D-League with a 25.4 FG%. How does that happen?

Shayne had a rib injury that caused him to miss three games and I have to imagine it’s still bothering him because he is simply missing open shots right now. He’s played eight games with Fort Wayne and as you mentioned he’s really struggled to shoot at 29 percent overall and 24 percent from 3-point range. Whittington’s value is as a stretch big, so if he’s missing shots it really hurts him long-term. I think he will break out of his funk shortly, though. He’s a proven shooter and I don’t think we will see him struggle like this for much longer. His last two games he’s 11-23 from the floor so that’s definitely encouraging.

[Editor’s Note: To Whittington’s credit, he continued that streak with another solid performance on Saturday.]

5. The Mad Ants have won the title before and were runner-up last season. Are they still good enough to compete for the D-League title this season?

Definitely. They are 7-4 right now, so they’re on pace for around 34 wins which traditionally means they will be in the playoffs (keep in mind the season is 50 games for D-League). The other thing I think they have going for them is I don’t see a lot of players getting NBA looks to be honest. I think C.J. Fair could get a 10-day look from a team or two because he’s been on the cusp since last season, but the majority of their guys will be here all season. If Rakeem is there all year then having that post presence makes them competitive in pretty much every game. The D-League is a guard-driven league for the most part so if you have quality bigs, you will always contend.

Next: Post-Game Grades: Indiana Pacers Get Throttled By Detroit Pistons

Thanks once again to Chris Reichert of Upside and Motor for answering a few questions for us and be sure to follow him on Twitter at @Chris_Reichert and be sure to read his and others’ great work at Upside and Motor.

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