With Edmond Sumner out for the season, should the Indiana Pacers look at signing former Pacers Darren Collison or Lance Stephenson?
The injury bug never stops biting the Indiana Pacers it seems like. A few days after hearing the news of T.J. Warren still out indefinitely as his foot fracture is taking longer to heal than anticipated, Pacers fans were met with even more terrible news. Edmond Sumner tore his Achilles in an off-season training session and will miss the upcoming season.
With Edmond Sumner out for the upcoming season, the Indiana Pacers and Kevin Pritchard have a decision to make with the vacancy this injury has created. Being this late into the offseason the top talent is obviously gone, but there are some players left that can contribute if called upon.
Two former Indiana Pacers guards have been eyeing an NBA comeback this offseason. Darren Collison and Lance Stephenson have both worked out for a few NBA teams and have yet to find themselves a deal with a team. The Pacers should take a good look at both of these players for the current vacancy on the bench.
Darren Collison played his last two seasons with the Indiana Pacers. In 2017-18, Collison led the league in three-point percentage shooting nearly forty-seven percent from deep. A veteran point guard who can hit three-point shots at a clip like Collison has proven is a very valuable piece to have on a team that has post-season aspirations. Add the fact that Collison has played for Rick Carlisle already as both were part of the 2012-2013 Dallas Mavericks.
Lance Stephenson is obviously a fan favorite when dawning the blue and gold. In Stephenson’s second stint with the Pacers, he proved to be a high-energy bench player that could give the team a spark when they needed it. Stephenson last played in the NBA back in 2018-19 for the Los Angeles Lakers and since then has been playing professionally over in China.
The nine-year NBA veteran has been aiming to come back since late last season as he feels like he is ready for another shot.
The Indiana Pacers find themselves in the market for another guard with the injury to Edmond Sumner. Kevin Pritchard has preached continuity all off-season long and these two veteran guards have that with this team and coach. It will be interesting to see if the Pacers take a look as the season quickly approaches.