Indiana Pacers: Is it time for Edmond Sumner to get more minutes?

The Indiana Pacers are still struggling to find wins after a hot start to the season but not all hope is lost. Edmond Sumner has been playing well off the bench lately.

In last night’s close loss to the Boston Celtics, Edmond Sumner provided a much-needed spark off the bench. Is it time for head coach Nate Bjorkgren to finally give Sumner more minutes?

Edmond Sumner should get more minutes for the Indiana Pacers.

Last night in the Indiana Pacers’ close loss to the Boston Celtics, head coach Nate Bjorkgren made the decision to give one of my favorite Pacers some playing time. Bjorkgren went a little deeper in his bench and Edmond Sumner got to see some meaningful minutes.

The Pacers seem a bit stale and lack energy at times. Usually, T.J. McConnell is the one that provides that spark off the bench, but last night it was Sumner’s turn. Sumner was very active on both the defensive end and rebounding the basketball, two areas the Pacers have struggled in recently. Edmond earned himself two steals and four rebounds on the night and had a smooth three-point play.

So the question that stands is should Edmond Sumner get more minutes? Sumner seems like a perfect fit for the defensive scheme of the Pacers while also bringing hustle and energy.  Someone with that skill set could easily help us out in times where the team feels stale on the court right?

I believe the main reason that we haven’t seen a whole lot of Sumner this season is that Nate Bjorkgren may not fully trust Sumner quite yet. Now what I mean by fully trusting Sumner is that Bjorgren may not feel too confident about the consistency of his shooting ability within the offense.

Sumner is an okay three-point shooter that has shown a little bit of improvement during his time with Indiana. His forte is more of going towards the basket using his speed and athleticism to finish at the rim.

The thought is with an offense that highly values three-point shooting that Edmond’s inconsistency to hit those shots may hurt the offense and devalue his work on defense. If defenses aren’t respecting him from three-point range, defenders can sag off and help onto other players.

Now to answer the question we have at hand, I do believe Edmond Sumner should be getting more minutes and opportunities to show what he can really do. Sumner has shown flashes, including the beginning of last season, of what he is capable of and how he can impact an NBA game.

His defensive ability, athleticism, and energy are exactly what the Pacers need right now as it seems other teams have started to figure out the Pacers a little bit. Sumner, however, will need to continue working on the development of his shot if he is to find more minutes in Nate Bjorkgren’s rotation.