Who gets the final roster spot(s)?
Do you recognize the man in the picture above? Probably not.
His name is Elijah Stewart, he signed an exhibit 10 deal with the Pacers back in July. There has not been much buzz about him, but he has a non-zero chance of earning a roster spot on the Pacers if he impresses in the preseason.
Stewart was injured for summer league, so this is his first chance to show off what he can do against pros. The USC product was a solid defender in college while knocking down 39 percent of his three-point attempts. In theory, he fits the modern game.
Here’s Pacers exhibit 10 contract recipient Elijah Stewart blowing by some, as my 8th grade coach called it, “Matador” defense from Holiday: pic.twitter.com/jFRaVzQtia
— Tony East (@TonyREast) August 20, 2018
Originally, it looked like Stewart would be competing with Ben Moore and Omari Johnson for the final roster spot. Both Stewart and Johnson have no guaranteed money in their contract, so it looked like Moore was a shoe-in for the final spot, but some new wrinkles have changed the battle for a contract.
At the time of Stewart’s signing, CJ Wilcox was on the team on a two-way contract. It was recently announced that he tore his Achilles and would be missing the entirety of the season. He isn’t on the training camp roster, so it would appear at a glance that his two-way contract slot is now up for grabs.
Between the final roster spot on the Pacers and the two-way spot that splits time between the Pacers and the Mad Ants, there are now two openings for the trio of Stewart, Moore, and Johnson to fight for (and, potentially, someone outside of the organization, but these guys have the inside track).
We all know about Ben Moore. He played for the Pacers last season, albeit in a very limited capacity. Last month he got the opportunity to play for team USA in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers. He is, at his worst, a high energy guy who contributes by exerting more effort than his matchup.
At his best, he is a tweener forward who can get dirty on the boards and stroke an outside shot on occasion. His true shooting percentage in the G League last season was 63.7 percent, a more efficient mark than James Harden posted in his MVP season last year. Moore can play.
Moore also has $45,000 of his contract guaranteed, meaning there is a small (very small in NBA money) opportunity cost of waiving him. I would say Moore is all but guaranteed a roster spot, whether it be the two-way contract or the final spot on the roster.
Omari Johnson joins the Pacers preseason team fresh off his rookie season in Memphis last year. Before his NBA debut, Johnson spent three seasons in the G League, where he canned over 40 percent of his >1000 three points attempts. The guy can shoot.
His NBA skills don’t extend far beyond that, but that is the way the NBA is going, and Pritchard does love stretch power forwards. If Johnson can show off some other NBA skills besides shooting, he could nab one of the two available contracts.
Moore, Johnson, and Stewart will be fighting like hell to ensure they make an NBA roster. Keep an eye on them throughout the four preseason games. If any of them catch your eye, that probably means they are standing out and have a great chance to make the final roster.