There was one play in the Indiana Pacers preseason matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder that perfectly solidified just how Jalen Slawson has managed to go from the late second-round pick who was cut after his rookie season (on the Sacramento Kings, no less) to an up-and-coming forward pushing for a rotation spot on a top team in the Eastern Conference.
With about five minutes left in the first quarter, Slauwson saw early minutes in the absence of Aaron Nesmith and Andrew Nembhard. When he was tasked with guarding Cason Wallace on a switch, he chased downhill only to completely demolish a layup attempt, pinning it on the backboard on the dump-off to Kenrich Williams.
For a player like Slawson, who came to the Pacers with little to no hope of seeing real playing time, it's these constant shows of defensive effort that will give him a real chance at the rotation.
The race for the fourth forward spot
The race for the fourth forward spot is already deeply contentious, and Slawson is not the only preseason breakout candidate trying to claim it.
Still, with the size, defense, and slashing ability he brings along with his slowly improving jump shot, it's hard to say that he isn't deserving of being the leader in the clubhouse for that final role.
It's so easy to forget that scoring is not the only important part of basketball. Ironically, for this impressive showing, Slawson did not get a highlight tape made, but a lowlight tape.
Admittedly, the former Furman product went 0/5 from the field and from three and had two turnovers and three fouls in 33 minutes of game time. Still, do you know how difficult it is to have that bad of a shooting game and still finish that contest with a positive plus-minus? That should speak to his effectiveness more than a made three or four points ever could.
Basketball fans are so frequently locked in on role players who exist at a strong point but can't scale down, when in reality, the best complementary options are the ones who can scale down just as well as they can scale up.
Slawson has shown an ability to handle on-ball reps across Summer League and G League Play, as well as a shockingly well-adjusted mindset and play style to work as the fifth most important starter on the floor at a given time.
This is something that Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, the two other main candidates for that fourth forward spot, don't have. Sheppard is completely incapable of scaling up due to his lackluster offensive game, and Walker can't scale down as a playmaking hub at the forward position, who needs to be involved frequently on offense and defense to stay effective.
Slawson is oddly the path of least resistance, even if he is the player that the Pacers' front office has invested in the least of those three options.
The Pacers don't have time to play politics. They should play the best player at a given spot. In this case, that is pretty clearly Jalen Slawson.
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