Edmond Sumner is back from the injury the kept him off the basketball court for nearly a year. Back in Fort Wayne, he is remembering how to play again.
Just over a year ago, Edmond Sumner tore his ACL and his collegiate basketball career was over. Sumner was projected to be a late first-round pick at the time of his injury, so the incident was a huge blow to his NBA dreams. The Pacers took a chance on him in the late second round in the hopes that he could one day be a quality player post-injury.
Given that belief, they gave him a two-year, two-way contract so that he could be a member of the Pacers while also playing games for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Sumner recently fully recovered from his injury and just started playing for Fort Wayne, and there are signs that he could be a useful player for the Pacers in the future.
Sumner has been known for his athleticism and speed. His pinned tweet currently shows off his athleticism that he (hopefully still)) has:
https://twitter.com/EdmondSumner/status/795452756563816448
Look at his head! It’s at the rim! But now he’s showing off his skills in actual games.
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Currently, he’s playing low minutes to ensure he doesn’t re-aggravate his ACL. In six games so far, he is averaging 14 minutes of playing time. In those minutes, he is scoring 6.3 points and dishing out 1.8 assists while grabbing two rebounds. Those numbers don’t leave a great impression on the eyes, but due to his low minutes, they don’t tell the story of his play effectively.
Sumner was never a great shooter at Xavier, but his shooting percentage improved every year as he got better at scoring and shooting. His jump shot wasn’t ever great in college, but he showed it off here, canning a wide-open spot-up three in transition. The important part here is that his jumper was one motion and looks repeatable:
If he can shoot, he will be even more valuable than just being an athletic freak. But he showed off that athleticism on the very next Mad Ants possession, coming down on the fast break before putting on a slick move and finishing at the rim:
It is great that he showed, especially on back to back attempts down the floor, what he can do. Flashes of talent are exactly what the Pacers want to see out of their rookie.
It hasn’t all been rosy.
Edmond Sumner is shooting just 39.5 percent from the field overall. That number is scary, and his 22.2 percent shooting from deep is even scarier. It has only been six games, so not enough of a sample to make any snap judgments, but it is concerning so far.
He is also averaging two turnovers per game, more than his assist number. He needs to take care of the ball better if he ever wants to be an effective NBA player, but that would be a few years down the road.
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Thankfully, Sumner has shown the flashes. Keep an eye on Sumner, and the Mad Ants, and watch him grow into a guy who could hopefully help the Pacers one day.