Tyler Hansbrough has played well since being acquired by the Fort Wayne Mad Ants of the NBA D-League.
Tyler Hansbrough is attempting to make an NBA comeback. He played for the Charlotte Hornets last season, but only averaged 7.8 minutes per game. He didn’t get signed during the summer, and now has to fight his way back into the league through the NBA D-League.
Luckily for him, he gets to do it in Fort Wayne. Hansbrough spent four years with the Indiana Pacers. Some may call him a bust for how high he was picked in the 2009 NBA Draft, 9th overall, but he was solid for the blue and gold. Through those four years, Hansbrough averaged 8.9 points per game and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Since joining the Mad Ants on March 1st, Hansbrough has averaged 14.8 points per game and 11.2 rebounds per game. He’s also shooting 53.1% from the field.
Pacers’ president Larry Bird has also been in attendance for some of the games. He was there on March 18th, where Hansbrough dropped 31 points and 15 rebounds. Larry was also there last night, where Hansbrough recorded 13 points and 8 rebounds.
Larry was a big reason as to why Hansbrough was acquired by the Mad Ants. The Mad Ants’ Head Coach Steve Gansey also said that Larry has asked about all the players on the roster over the last few games that he has attended.
Hansbrough is playing well in front of the right man. Teams can still hand out 10-day contracts, so maybe a team will give Psycho T a chance. As cool as it would be, it’s hard to imagine the Pacers giving him that chance.
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They have 15 guaranteed deals. That doesn’t mean they won’t explore a potential reunion during the summer, though. Hansbrough provides toughness, which is something the Pacers have lacked significantly. Ask Paul George.