Monday and Tuesday saw more potential draft picks come through the doors of the St. Vincent Center for the Indiana Pacers. Jalen Brunson of Villanova was the best of the bunch.
The Indiana Pacers are up to 18 players that took part in pre-draft workouts after Thursday’s edition with Jalen Brunson of Villanova.
The day before, Marcus Foster of Creighton, Louisville’s Quentin Snider, Robert Johnson of Indiana, Jae’Sean Tate from Ohio State, Jordan Barnett of Missouri, and George Washington’s Yuta Watanabe.
Brunson is the best of the bunch and so far the only player the Pacers brought in by himself. He is the 34th best player in the draft in the opinion of The Ringer’s Draft Guide, making him a tweener between Indiana’s 23rd and 50th draft pick.
Is Kevin Pritchard considering a move to get closer to his position? Hard to say, but it is an interesting wrinkle. It wouldn’t be the worst move to take him at No. 23, but it would be a reach.
But why are the Pacers interested in the playmaking point guard?
Outside of the 18.9 points and 4.6 rebounds a game last season, Brunson offers a potential boost to the offense of the team that drafts him.
Our own Tony East weighed in the other day before Indiana had announced his workout.
"Jalen Brunson can do a lot of great things with the ball in his hands. He made Villanova’s motion offense flow and click. His shots went in from everywhere. When he put the ball on the floor, it was usually productive. He does so many things well.Over the course of his collegiate career, he proved he could score from any area of the court thanks to excellent touch and crafty finishing moves."
On the downside, though, Tony noted his defense is limited by his athleticism. At 6’2, he doesn’t bring versatility with his game as switches on to larger player could expose him quickly. That also brings concerns that he won’t find space to be a playmaker at the NBA-level like he did in college.
That doesn’t mean he can’t improve or find a role in the NBA, but it makes the reach at No. 23 for the Pacers a harder pill to swallow. They may consider trading back a few spots if they believe Brunson can overcome is shortcomings.
While Brunson was the only player the Pacers brought in on Thursday, let’s take a quick look at the guys who came in on Wednesday.
Quentin Snider — Louisville
Quentin Snider is another smaller point guard at 6’2 but doesn’t have the same tools as Brunson. If Indiana is looking at him seriously, they are targetting him as their 50th pick or as an undrafted free agent.
Former 8p9s writer and current editor of Big Red Louie, Jacob Lane, shared his thoughts on Snider with us.
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"Quentin Snider, aka Q, is the model of consistency and the type of player you want at point guard. He’s not the quickest, not the most athletic, doesn’t have great size, and certainly isn’t the best defender, but night in and night out, you know what you are getting with him.Q isn’t afraid of anyone or any challenge and plays with a toughness that would be embraced in a blue collar town like Indy. His feel for the game of basketball is tremendous, and he is great with getting his team into the right sets and he’s also a guy who can be counted on to make the right play at the right time.While his numbers don’t necessarily show it, Q is a great passer and is even better about taking care of the ball, and can also get buckets when needed. If the Pacers drafted him at #50, they’d be getting a model citizen, a great teammate, a good playmaker, and a guy who loves playing the game of basketball.I personally don’t think he has the ability to play in the NBA just yet, however, I’ve seen other players (ala TJ McConnell) go undrafted and have nice careers in the league. Q can definitely be that guy for the Pacers."
Marcus Foster — Creighton
Guess what? Another undersized guard! But despite the 6’3 frame of Foster, scoring wasn’t an issue for him at Creighton. He averaged 19.8 points per a game while grabbing 3.9 rebounds and handing out 2.7 assists a game.
And wait a minute… he already worked out with the Pacers last week, too. Go read that if you need to refresh your memory.
Robert Johnson — Indiana
Another smaller guard at 6’3 is Robert Johnson of Indiana. He averaged 14 points a game last season along with 4.5 rebounds a game and 2.7 assists. While his 42.7 percent from the field leaves you wanting more, it’s worth noting he made 37.3 of his 3-point attempts while taking nearly six a game.
A 6’6 wingspan helps make up for the lack of overall size and could help him in the NBA if he improves his defense. Another potential pick at No. 50 or UDFA.
Jae’Sean Tate — Ohio State
At 6’4, Jae’Sean Tate is a bigger option at guard than some of the others so far, but his game has limits.
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His 55.7 percent shooting from the field is a good sign, but his 31.4 percent from deep quickly explains why he only averaged 12.3 points a game last season.
He is a physical presence at guard as he averaged 6.2 rebounds, but his lack of shooting range is a red flag. His current future is in the G-League, but if he can match his game more with his body, he might earn a call-up one day.
Jordan Barnett — Missouri
The 6’6 forward averaged 13.7 points and 6.7 rebounds a game last season with Missouri but was inconsistent as a shooter at times. His 44.9 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from deep, however, are very solid numbers.
He’s athletic enough to give him a shot as a 3-and-D player in the NBA but is another player that Indiana should only consider in the second round or as a free agent.
Yuta Watanabe — George Washington
The 6’8 Yuta Watanabe averaged 16.3 and 6.1 rebounds a game last season at George Washington while shooting 43.7 from the floor. He showed a little bit of shooting touch by making 36.4 percent of his 4.7 3-point attempts.
The Japanese forward is a late bloomer at 23 years old but displayed playmaking ability in the Atlantic 10 last season. His scoring can be streaky at times, but his skills are worth looking at in the 2nd round and certainly as a UDFA.
Next: Player Review: Myles Turner
It’s clear Indiana is looking for a point guard to eventually replace Darren Collison and the ‘true’ stretch four that Kevin Pritchard mentioned after the season, but outside of Brunson, the latest batch of players are definitely in the realm of longer-term projects.