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2017-18 Pacers Player Reviews: Edmond Sumner

By Tony East

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Edmond Sumner #5 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers were wearing jerseys referring to the real-life 1911 Indiana high school state championship team featured in the movie "Hoosiers." NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 15: Edmond Sumner #5 of the Indiana Pacers shoots the ball against the Charlotte Hornets at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 15, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Pacers were wearing jerseys referring to the real-life 1911 Indiana high school state championship team featured in the movie "Hoosiers." NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Edmond Sumner missed nearly the entire season with an injury, but thankfully we got to see some of the Pacers promising rookie. Let’s review what we did see of the youngster during his first year.

Injuries suck. A lot. The Pacers couldn’t win games when Victor Oladipo was injured. Fans held their breath when Myles Turner showed up at practice with a bionic arm. GR3’s development took a step back thanks to an injury. But nobody lost more of their season than Edmond Sumner, and his injury set back both guard depth and player development for the Pacers organization.

Sumner was at one time a very promising prospect. He was a projected lottery pick from Xavier before he tore his ACL during his junior season, and as a result, he went tumbling down in the draft. The Pacers were still intrigued enough by him to consider drafting him. So they did.

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The risks were numerous, but the Pacers were ready. They purchased the 50th pick in the draft from the New Orleans Pelicans to select Sumner, proving they believed in him despite the uncertainty. They doubled down on the youngster by doing something that had never been done in NBA history. The Pacers gave Sumner the first ever two-year two-way contract, ensuring that once he was fully healed and able to play he would still be a member of the organization.

That was a risky, yet savvy, move by Indiana. Sure, they basically punted on the use of one of their two-way contracts this season, but they guaranteed they would have a full season of a healthy Edmond Sumner developing in the G League and playing spot minutes for the Pacers next season. And that move seems like it is going to work out great.

Sumner was able to make his debut with Fort Wayne in late January, where he dropped in nine points and dished out two assists to go along with two rebound and a pair of steals. Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports did the math, it was his first basketball game in 354 days at the time, nearly an entire year.

In Fort Wayne, Sumner was eased back in, playing in a total of just 14 games. He regained some of his rim shattering athleticism as the season went on, and by the time things were all said and done, he had posted averages of 7.2 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 16.9 minutes per game.

It didn’t look like Sumner would get any burn in the NBA after spending all that time in Fort Wayne, But during the Pacers last game of the season, with Oladipo, Bogdanovic, and Thaddeus Young on the shelf, Sumner was given an opportunity to suit up. He showed his slowly recuperating athleticism off to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse Crowd during warmups:

It was a cool enough story that Sumner got to dress for the Pacers after his devastating injury. But the game was a blowout, and the story got cooler. Due to the lopsided score, he got to play! He checked in for the final 2:10 of the game and made his NBA debut.

How did it go? Pretty solid. Most noteworthy, he was able to pull down his first rebound and hit his premier shot, resulting in his first NBA points:

With only 239 minutes between the G League and the pros, we still don’t know enough about Sumner. Thankfully, the Pacers made the forward-thinking move to sign him to that two-year two-way deal, so they get another year to watch Sumner develop and see what he can be.

Next: Victor Oladipo makes third team all-NBA

Only this time, he will be healthy. Sumner will get 45 days with the Pacers next season. The rest of the time he will be with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. That will give the front office ample time to see what type of player, and how talented, he is. Edmond Sumner was a neat, feel-good story his rookie year. But next season is where the project will earn his dough. I can’t wait to see it.

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