In one of the most head-scratching moves of last month's draft, the Indiana Pacers selected Taelon Peter with the 54th pick. This move was questionable because he was not a widely-known prospect or on anybody's big board. Additionally, many Pacers fans wanted the team to draft Ryan Nembhard, who ultimately went undrafted.
It is an incredibly small sample size, and it remains to be seen if the Liberty alum will make an impact in Indiana. However, early on, the results look good.
In four summer league games, Peter averaged 9.5 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.8 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field. His three-point efficiency (26.7%) was a bit disappointing, but this was his bread-and-butter in college, and more reps at the NBA level should give him the chance to iron things out.
Even though the draft choice was questionable at the time, things are looking solid for Peter and the Pacers, and what is next in store should be an exciting storyline to follow.
Taelon Peter earned a spot with the Pacers
After the Pacers withdrew Enrique Freeman's qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, it seemed inevitable that Peter would take the team's final two-way roster spot. On Thursday, this became official (h/t Michael Scotto of HoopsHype).
With Peter now on a two-way contract, he joins Quenton Jackson and RayJ Dennis, who have also shown promise on such deals.
Moving on from Freeman after his rookie season was a bit questionable. He showed flashes during his rookie season, became a fan favorite, and looked even better in summer league. However, the Pacers seemingly like Peter's potential more, or at least they felt like he had a better chance of developing into a legitimate contributor for the team.
The 23-year-old looked promising in summer league, but he is unlikely to play a big role with the Pacers, at least not right away. Even though they are preparing for what most expect to be a gap year, it is still going to be tough for Peter to have a consistent role during his rookie season. Instead, he will likely spend most of his time in the G League, though he may have some chances to showcase his talents in NBA action throughout the season.
It is early, but if Peter can build off his promising summer league performances and develop into an impactful player for Indiana, the team will look like geniuses again. Ultimately, earning a two-way contract is just one step, but as it stands, there are reasons to be excited about Peter and what he brings to the table.