Do the Indiana Pacers have a problem on their hands with Cassius Stanley?

Cassius Stanley was the lone draft selection for the Indiana Pacers in 2020, a second-round pick that offered some athleticism. He hasn’t seen the floor much in his first season and was sent to the G-League bubble earlier in the year as well.

There was no reason to expect Stanley to play a ton of minutes as a rookie given Indiana’s backcourt situation and history of shielding rookies from the court. When the Pacers returned from their recent road trip, Malcolm Brogdon (and the Pacers) posted a video of Stanley that exposed some concerns.

Cassius Stanley was pranked by the Indiana Pacers recently

Rookie hazing is common and usually all in good fun. Cassius Stanley was on the receiving end of a harmless prank that included a car filled with popcorn when he arrived back in town from Memphis. While the prank was nothing too crazy, there were some things in the video that may raise some questions about Stanley’s character and work ethic.

https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1381600081913217025?s=20

Stanley was clearly not happy with the team having a little fun, which is understandable given the time stamp on the video. Having to clean up a massive mess or find a ride at nearly 2:00 in the morning is not ideal but that’s the least of my concerns.

Malcolm Brogdon brought up some work ethic questions surrounding the rookie, a rookie who has not seen the floor hardly at all this season. Brogdon mentioned Stanley’s absence from individual workouts and skipping the gym on off days while also throwing in that he has been lacking on his “rookie duties”.

There’s a pretty common notion that rookie athletes are expected to do run some silly errands for the veterans and take care of things around the locker room, which really isn’t that big of a deal. But Stanley not doing that and not showing up for his own workouts is certainly a red flag.

Indiana has not hit on many draft picks lately. Missing on Stanley as a result of character and work ethic would not sit well with the fanbase, and rightfully so. This may not be a big deal in the end but it definitely raised some eyebrows to start the week.