3 options for the Indiana Pacers last roster spot

The Pacers could reward a Fort Wayne Mad Ant

This option is easily the least sexy, but it does offer some important benefits.

This is essentially what happened with McKinney-Jones last year. He played well in Fort Wayne, and when Darren Collison was out with an injury and the Pacers needed guard depth, they called him up.

There are two advantages to this. One is that it allows players, and agents, to be more comfortable playing for the Pacers G League team. If agents know that their client playing well in Fort Wayne could lead to a temporary promotion, even just for 10 days, they may be more inclined to push for the Mad Ants over other G League teams. On the flip side, a player may play more effectively knowing that their good play could be rewarded.

The second advantage is that these types of players typically don’t need a second 10-day contract. Say hypothetically that Doug McDermott gets a minor ankle injury. Giving a Mad Ant a temporary promotion to soak up some minutes on the wing or play in garbage time is a good use of the last roster spot. Once McD heals, the player just goes back to Fort Wayne and the Pacers have the open roster spot again after 10 days. It’s a win-win solution for the G Leaguer and the Pacers.

There are a few guys in Fort Wayne who might make some sense here, but it really depends on what the situation calls for. The most obvious candidate would be Omari Johnson, who played for the Pacers in the preseason and has some NBA experience. Stephan Hicks and Rob Gray have done well for the Mad Ants too, so they could be guys who may get a call-up.

There isn’t necessarily a best or worst option. The Indiana Pacers have many avenues they can pursue when it comes to their open roster spot in the coming months. With 10-day season just around the corner, it is time to keep an eye on what they might do.