Indiana Pacers: Team signs Fanbo Zeng, Jermaine Samuels, and more

The Indiana Pacers added more new players to the roster after the June 23rd NBA draft last week. Five new members of the team were added, most of which will play for the team during summer league in early July.

Fanbo Zeng, Jermaine Samuels Jr., Simi Shittu, Eli Brooks, and Tevin Brown are the latest additions to the Indiana Pacers.

Fanbo Zeng was born in Harbin, China, before moving to the United States to attend Windermere Preparatory School which is located in Florida.  He was born in the year 2003 making him a 19-year-old prospect. He spent one year with the G-League Ignite where he would play 19 games and average, 5.1 PTS, 2.2 REB, and 0.8 AST.

Zeng stands at 6’9” in height and will play for the Pacers during their summer league in the upcoming weeks. He was injured in his G-League season, but his physical abilities are still there. He did a pre-draft workout for the Pacers as well.

Jermaine Samules Jr. is also joining the squad for the summer league after signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Pacers last week. Samuels is a 6’7” forward from the University of Villanova who finished his senior year in 2022.

He averaged 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Wildcats and although his three-point percentage was just 27%, his field goal percentage has remained in the mid-40s for his career. He joined Villanova back in 2017 and spent five seasons with the team.

Michigan’s Eli Brooks signed an exhibit 10 deal with the Indiana Pacers to join the summer league squad as well. Brooks is a 6’1” guard who spent five seasons with the Wolverines as well. In his past two seasons, he has shot the three-ball at 39% while scoring over 12 points a game last year.

Brooks was a captain for his last two seasons in Michigan and helped the team make the final four in 2018. Aaron Brooks was the first person I thought of when I heard he was signing with the team as I reminisced over Pacers of the past. This Brooks however is a great shooter that is 23 years old.

Tevin Brown signed a deal with the Indiana Pacers shortly after draft night concluded and will join their summer league team. Murray State’s website holds some information about the workings of Exhibit 10 deals and what it means for the players who sign them.

"“An Exhibit 10 contract guarantees Brown a training camp invitation and a one-year deal worth the minimum salary. The Pacers may also waive Brown, but if they do, he will be offered $50,000 to sign with the Pacers G League affiliate. If Brown then stays on the roster for 60 days, he will earn a $50,000 bonus. The Exhibit 10 contract is the NBA’s way to keep a player in the G League instead of going overseas. An NBA team cannot carry more than six Exhibit 10 contracts at once”"

Brown is a 6’5”, 185lbs guard from Murray state who is 23 years old. He averaged 16.8 points a game and 5.6 rebounds last season with the Racers. The Racers lost in the second round to the Saint Peters Peacocks.

Simi Shittu spent one year with the Vanderbilt blank in 2018-19 before joining a few NBA G-League teams. He played one season with the Windy City Bulls and one season for the Westchester Knicks before heading overseas to Israel to play for Ness Ziona.

Shittu averaged 14.5 points a game and 10 rebounds in his last NBA G-League stint in 2020-21. He is a 6’11” Forward and is 22 years old.