Indiana Pacers: 3 players to watch in the preseason
By Luke Parrish
Who should the Indiana Pacers keep an eye on during exhibitions?
The preseason opens up this weekend, meaning the Indiana Pacers are back in action. With three exhibitions before the regular season begins, the Pacers have some work to do in order to understand which lineups will work. Who should the coaching staff watch closely in the preseason matchups?
Edmond Sumner
Indiana has an opening in the backcourt rotation while Jeremy Lamb recovers from a brutal knee injury that ended his 2020 season. With Lamb not expected back until mid-January at the earliest, the Pacers need to replace his minutes.
Edmond Sumner has played sparingly throughout his young career but has provided athleticism in his limited minutes. His speed and defensive prowess make him a solid two-way player who can still attack the rim. Sumner flashes nice touch around the rim and knocks down difficult layups in traffic.
One thing that I want to see out of Sumner is his improvement from deep. He has struggled to find consistency with his jump shot so far in his career. In two seasons as a role player, Sumner has converted on just 26.4 percent of his threes and 58.5 percent of his free throws.
While his numbers are inflated thanks to the small sample size, Sumner needs to show that he can consistently hit his shots if he wants to be part of the rotation. If not, a certain youngster can take his minutes this season.