Five takeaways from the Indiana Pacers’ first preseason game
By Ryan Eggers
The good, the bad, and the Dougly
Thursday was also the first opportunity to see the Indiana Pacers first major acquisition of free agency in action, Doug McDermott. He led the team in minutes with 36 but converted it into 2 points on 1-8 shooting, including 0-4 from deep. Which is, as Shakespeare would put it, bad.
It wasn’t necessarily all on Dougie, though. He didn’t force it from three, and got a few good looks, they just weren’t hitting. He also grabbed 6 boards, which was highest on the team after Leaf and Sabonis. He made an excellent back-cut for two that was negated by an off-ball foul. The effort was there, and he definitely fit into his role well. But the shots weren’t falling.
And when the shots aren’t falling, McDermott really struggles on an NBA court. The key to him being a productive part of the bench this year is tied completely to his ability to make three-point shots. For most of his career, McDermott has done that, and that’s why he’s still in the NBA and received a three-year deal from the Pacers.
But he will inevitably have bad games, and as Thursday showed, the consequences of those bad games are hefty. Hopefully, there is enough firepower on the bench to make up for tough nights for McDermott, but recent history has shown that that isn’t likely.
Ugh, that felt kinda gross. Here’s a highlight package of McDermott’s best buckets last season to remind us that they won’t always be bad days: