Nate McMillan announces starters for Indiana Pacers’ first preseason game
By Ben Gibson
Nate McMillan announced the starters for the Indiana Pacers first preseason game. It looks like Damien Wilkins is now the backup small forward.
The Indiana Pacers initial plan to fill the Glenn Robinson III-shaped hole in their second unit comes in the form of the 37-year-old Damien Wilkins. We found this out when Nate McMillan announced the team’s starting lineup and rotations for their preseason game against the Milwaukee Bucks. The two teams meet in Milwaukee on Wednesday at 8 p.m.
The unfortunate injury to Robinson opens the door for Wilkins, who last played with Brujos de Guayama in Puerto Rico. Wilkins last stop in the NBA came in 2013 with the Philadelphia 76ers when he averaged 6.4 points and 1.7 rebounds a game.
McMillan told reporters on Monday that Wilkins can still play, which sounds like a back-handed compliment but none the less is what the veteran should expect to hear after spending the last few years globetrotting.
"“A veteran who still can play,” McMillan said of Wilkins. “He should be able to give you some minutes. High basketball IQ. He’s had a good training camp, as well as a summer. He came in mid-August and started working out with our guys. He’s done some good things. With his experience and just being a veteran who’s been around, he gets an opportunity to play with Glenn being out. We’ll see what he can do.”"
While Old Man Wilkins getting time is the headline, it is good to see T.J. Leaf will see the floor on Wednesday as well.
"“I’m going to hit shots, I’m going to make turnovers, I’m going to make some bonehead plays,” Leaf said. “A lot of that is just part of being a rookie. I’ve been talking to coaches and some of the older guys a lot about how many ups and downs I’m going to be having as a rookie. I just got to stay neutral and keep playing.”"
Leaf will make mistakes, he will make us scratch our heads, and he probably will play bad defense. But he also will get a chance to take on NBA-level competition for the first time. We’ll finally get to see how his offense looks when he isn’t a big fish in a little pond.
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Preseason hype is building around players on other teams — Kyle Kuzma, for example — so a strong performance in preseason gives him a chance to knock off some of the “Pacers drafted another white guy” aspersions that came with him to Indiana. Leaf showing out in his first preseason game would be a much-needed win for Kevin Pritchard after all the flack he received this summer.
I judge preseason basketball the same way I do Summer League: Does a player look competent? Leaf looked fine in the Orlando Summer League but didn’t do much other than proving he was better the G-League level opponents. Wednesday is his first chance to do more than that.
The same rule of competency can apply to the Pacers against the Bucks as well. They don’t have put all their cards on the table, but you hope they are at least look like an NBA team. With all the changes this offseason, they might get off to a rocky start as they play their first game together.
Next: Pacers Salary Series: Glenn Robinson III and his injury
After Wednesday night, we’ll know a little bit more about this Indiana team.