Indiana Pacers: 3 bright spots from the Summer League so far

Duane Washington Jr. is coming for a roster spot with the Indiana Pacers

The original plan was probably for Cassius Stanley to earn the final roster spot again this season as a two-way player. Instead, Ohio State’s Duane Washington has other plans. Washington was an undrafted free agent who made some noise in his Summer League debut.

Against the Knicks, Washington poured in 23 points in 21 minutes while shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from three. While he did struggle in his second game (just 4 points on 1-of-6 shooting), there was enough in the opener to make folks think twice about Cassius Stanley.

Stanley was the frontrunner to take the final spot in the backcourt next season even after his rough rookie season. After another slow start to this summer, Stanley is very much in danger of losing his spot. He scored just 2 points in 11 minutes in Game 1 but bounced back with 14 points in Game 2 while knocking down a pair of threes.

The battle between Stanley and Washington will certainly be one to watch throughout the rest of the offseason but Washington’s ability to score from range should be very valuable. Indiana needs to add more scoring to the bench and although Washington should not be expected to come in and play any meaningful minutes, having him on the end of the bench to develop into that kind of role is worth a shot.

The rest of the Summer League will be fun to watch as these guys continue to push each other for a roster spot.