Alex Poythress was a feel-good story for the Pacers, getting his two-way contract converted to a full NBA deal halfway through the year. His season deserves a second look.
Back on December 28th, Alex Poythress did something that had never been done in Indiana Pacers history. He had his two-way contract converted to a full-NBA contract, meaning that instead of splitting his time between the Fort Wayne Mad Ants and the Pacers, he would exclusively be a member of the Pacers from that point on.
Not many two-way players around the league earned that luxury, only 10 to be exact. Poythress was the first Pacer to ever do it, paving the way for future two-way players in Indiana to know that they have a shot at becoming a full-time pro.
His promotion came on the heels of his best game of the season. On December 26th, the Pacers got smashed by the Detroit Pistons, losing the game by 24 points. Poythress was a +15 in his 22 minutes in that game. The Pacers lost by a whopping 39 points when he wasn’t on the court. His final stat line was just four points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. But he was very impactful with his defense and zero turnovers. The Pacers offered him his contract the next day.
But Poythress played in 24 other games, too. And he got some burn with Fort Wayne early in the year. Let’s gloss over Alex Poythress’ first season in Indiana and see what comes next for him.
The Good
Alex Poythress took a noticeable step forward at a very important skill for someone of his position and ability: shooting.
Albeit on a small volume of attempts, Poythress got his deep shooting percentage up to 36.4 percent, right around league average. Considering he has never been known for this ability, this is a welcome gift in Poythress’ skillset.
An important thing to note is that his form is tidy, meaning his jumper is repeatable. He could hit these all day long:
That’s money. Even better than his normal three-point percentage, Poythress hit 50 percent of his corner threes, an excellent figure for someone in his role.
Poythress also had a positive impact offensively in that he never turned the ball over. His turnover percentage was just 7.1 percent, and he only coughed up the rock two times in the entire season. Taking care of the ball is an underrated skill around the league and Poythress excels at this.
The Bad
Poythress biggest flaw and the thing preventing him from being a solidly efficient player is free throws. And it isn’t just that he didn’t make them. He didn’t take them. At all. He took zero free throw attempts this season in the pros. Free throws are easy points, and getting to the line is an important skill for any player looking to be efficient. Poythress doesn’t have that.
In the G League, the youngster only hit 67.5 percent of his looks at the charity stripe. That’s okay, but it won’t get the job done. Especially with the low number of attempts Poythress had. He needs to be better at getting to the line and converting once he gets there.
Poythress also struggled to finish at the rim, making just 58.3 percent of his looks in close. Part of his trouble with getting to the line is that he avoids contact, and that hurts his finishing ability.
If you’re already on the fringes of the NBA, these shots just have to go in:
Overall, Poythress was solid in his limited minutes and didn’t do a ton poorly. He just didn’t get enough of an opportunity to show off his abilities, both the good ones and the bad ones.
Gifs!
Poythress received a promotion from a two-way player to an NBA player, one of the first promotions of its kind.
He earned it thanks to his good play. He deserved it. Robotnik agrees.
What’s next for Poythress?
Poythress’ contract is non-guaranteed at the minimum next season, it doesn’t fully guarantee until July 15th. He will probably be around the organization until close to that date, but the Pacers have to decide whether or not he is worth that money to have back next season.
The evidence suggests that the Pacers don’t quite think he is worth it. When he was on his two-way contract, he played 48.5 minutes. After signing his rest of season contract, he played just 55.5 minutes the rest of the way. The lack of disparity between those numbers shows that even after the Pacers thought that Poythress earned a spot on the roster, they didn’t believe in him enough to give him playing time.
That does not bode well for him, but the decision is ultimately up to the front office. We might have to wait the next 50 days to learn what that decision is.
Next: Victor Oladipo makes third team all-NBA
So who knows what is next for Poythress. In his 31 NBA games, he hasn’t shown a ton. In his 53 G League games, he has been dominant. That in-between area (just on the fringes of the NBA) is the most challenging place for players to be. Because of that, where Poythress plays next season is a mystery. He was a talented player with an unprecedented callup for the Pacers this past season, so let’s hope his future involves being a part of the Indiana Pacers organization.