3 takeaways from the Indiana Pacers’ second Summer League loss

On Monday evening, the Indiana Pacers fell to the Detroit Pistons in a 102-84 bout. This was the second consecutive loss for the franchise’s summer league squad.

The games in Las Vegas don’t really mean anything in the grand scheme of things. Many players on the court won’t make an active roster, or may stew in the G-League for eternity. Regardless, summer league games provide a good opportunity to get an early look at recently-drafted rookies and raw prospects. So what can we learn from the Indiana Pacers’ game yesterday against Detroit?

The Pacers led by two points heading into the second quarter, but poor shooting and carelessness with the ball allowed the Pistons to take a double-digit lead, which they were able to comfortably hold for a majority of the game. Third-year guard Edmond Sumner missed the contest with a minor foot injury, while first-round pick Goga Bitadze has been sidelined as he awaits his visa permit.

The young squad doesn’t have much time to adjust their game-plan after Monday’s loss, but their play against the Pistons allowed for some takeaways to keep in mind as the team heads into their contest against the Hawks tonight.

1. Aaron Holiday highlighted his scoring ability, but remains inconsistent overall

Indiana’s first-round pick from last year isn’t shy when it comes to attempting shots. The point guard ended the game with 20 points after converting on 7 of his 21 shots. Holiday was able to drop 6-of-7 foul shots and finished with four assists and two blocks. On a handful of his possessions, the 6-foot-1 guard displayed his speed by getting around his man for a lay-up or floater. More impressively, he was able to fight through contact from a bigger defender and get to the line.

When it comes to the young playmaker, the good also comes with the bad. Holiday finished the contest with seven turnovers; many of which were simply careless passes to a teammate around the basket. In some cases, he’d commit a shooting foul around the basket after an opponent stole the ball from him.

While he ended his rookie season shooting forty percent from deep, he was cold from downtown yesterday and missed each of his five attempts. Thankfully, his ability to find shots within the arc can be relied on when he’s not shooting well from long range.

Turnovers and streaky shooting aren’t foreign liabilities when it comes to young point guards, but Holiday’s play is concerning when you take into consideration the organization’s plans of him being a rotational player this coming season. If he can’t take care of the ball and shoot efficiently during these exhibition games, the case that he should be getting consistent minutes heading into the 2019-20 season grows smaller. His performance tonight against Atlanta will certainly be something to monitor.

2. Alize Johnson‘s box-score contributions were as expected

The Pacers’ sophomore prospect was a double-double machine with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s G-League affiliate, last season. His performance in yesterday’s exhibition was no different. The 23-year-old ended the night with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes.

Five of his rebounds came off the offensive glass, and his prowess for getting boards led to many put-back attempts that ended in a shooting foul on the Pistons. Johnson took thirteen shots from the charity stripe, but he was only able to sink seven of them. His play in the post is easily one of his biggest strengths, but he’ll need to shoot better from the line if he wants to see rotational minutes with the Pacers.

Despite the nice box-score numbers, the 6-foot-9 forward clearly has some liabilities to work on as well. At times, Johnson would lose track of his assignment and allow an open look to the basket. His rebounding is extremely beneficial for a team, but shooting 40% from the floor and 53.8% from the free throw line makes it easier for an opposing defender to foul him on a close shot attempt. Unfortunately for the sophomore big man, most of his shots come from around the basket.

3. Brian Bowen II continues to show promise

After playing a season with the Sydney Kings of the NBL, Bowen II declared for the NBA draft. After he went unselected, the Pacers offered the 20-year-old a two-way contract. While he’ll undoubtedly be a Fort Wayne project next season, the recent addition has inspired hope that he could be a great under-the-radar pickup.

The forward ended Monday’s game with ten points, eight rebounds, five assists, and a blocked shot. Despite playing the second-most minutes of any Pacers player, the young prospect only attempted five shots in 31 minutes. He sank a shot from long-range and converted on each of his five free throw attempts, as well.

In the fourth quarter, the young scorer was able to display his ball-handling and ability to get to the basket. Considering he can score from all-around the floor, it will be interesting to see if Bowen II takes more shots in tonight’s contest.

There are two more Summer League contests for the Indiana Pacers, so hopefully the squad can pull off a win in at least one of their upcoming matchups. Tuesday, they face the Hawks, followed by the Raptors on Thursday.