Indiana Pacers Post-Draft Grades: the good, the bad, and the Aussie

Ladies and gentlemen, the 2024 NBA Draft is officially in the books. Two days, two rounds, and 58 picks later, 30 NBA teams now have a few more players on their roster to worry about, including the Indiana Pacers, who made some noise in the draft world and got one of the bigger steals via a trade with the San Antonio Spurs.

This was the first time in a few years that I did not expect much from this draft. After three straight years of picking in the lottery, Indiana not only picked outside of the top 14 but skipped out on the first round altogether after the Pascal Siakam trade saw three of their first-rounders head to Toronto, including their 2024 first. Surprisingly, I left rather optimistic about all three selections, especially the headline acquisition which we will get into in just a minute.

Indiana entered the draft season with picks 36, 49, and 50, and left with someone who many projected to go in the lottery, and two useful utility players, including one fantastic rebounder and hustle guy. From the outset, it is unlikely if not borderline impossible that all three of these players will get minutes for the Pacers to start, let alone help the team win, but there is absolutely a future in the league for all three of these guys and at least one can help the team from Day 1 if necessary.

Without further ado, let's get into these selections and evaluate the new faces in Naptown.

Johnny Furphy (Round 2, Pick 35):

Man, what a steal.

One look at some mock drafts before June 26th will tell you that Johnny Furphy should not have fallen past the top 20, much less to the second round. Most if not all mocks had Furphy going at least top 20 so when he left the green room after the first round without a home, it was very surprising.

However, watching the second round from his home ended up giving him a fair shake, as he watched a ready-made playoff team trade up a spot to get him, with the Pacers making a deal with the San Antonio Spurs to move up one pick and give them some cash to select Furphy with the 35th overall pick.

I already did a full article where I break down Johnny Furphy's game and come to the conclusion that he can help Indiana from Day 1 if necessary and that he is an absolute home run for the future, so I won't go into too much detail in this one. I will, however, summarize the key parts of Furphy's game and show what he can bring to Indy now and down the line.

Perhaps the most intriguing part of Furphy's game is his scoring ability, both shooting-wise and at the rim. Looking at the film from Kansas and the combine shows that Furphy's jumper will easily translate to the NBA. A quick and high release point led him to make 36.4% of his NBA-level threes in college, although 72 of them were from the corner.

Sure enough, Furphy thrives more as a spot-up shooter, as he shot 44.2% on unguarded catch-and-shoot threes at Kansas but only 10.5% on threes off a screen and 16.7% on off-the-dribble threes. This is to say that Furphy is a work in progress as a movement shooter but can hit the open three when called upon, which is boosted by his relentless off-ball movement and activity without the ball, which means he does not need the ball in his hands to be effective on offense.

As a finisher, Furphy made his name as an efficient rim scorer, making 44/55 of his shots at the rim prior to the NCAA tournament, good for 80%. Despite being rather slight and slender, with a 6-foot-8 wingspan and only weighing in at 190 pounds, he drew contract rather easily at Kansas, especially for a late-bloomer freshman.

Furphy also has something in common with Pacers swingman Bennedict Mathurin, in that he knows how to draw contact and get to the line, with his free throw rate of .393 ranking seventh in the Big 12. It's very surprising to watch the rather slander Furphy exhibit a soft touch around the rim and show plenty of crafty below-the-rim finishes at his disposal.

Another intriguing aspect of Furphy's scouting report is his ability to rebound the ball at a high level. His explosiveness comes into play here, with his ability to launch off his back foot helping him cut into spaces for offensive rebounds the same way it helps him finish at the basket.

His height is enough to pull down certain rebounds, while his feel for the game and high ball IQ, as well as his willingness to fight on the glass and box out, gets him other rebounds. He has some strength issues to work on down the line, but it's a great foundation.

Furphy's defense is a work in progress and easily the most unpolished part of his game. He can be a bit slow-footed and upright on that end, which leads to him getting beaten by quicker players quite a lot, and he is a pretty bad screen navigator as well as inconsistent on drives due to his lack of lower body strength.

However, the effort is most certainly there. He is very active with his hands and good at picking his opponent's pockets by keeping his hands up, which also leads to him getting some timely blocks due to his height. Furphy is also a solid help defender, with his awareness allowing him to help on a double team while keeping focus on his man. By no means is Furphy a finished product, far from that in fact, but a project with potential on that end for sure.

'Project' is the term that will be used for a while with Furphy. While he can help Indiana improve with their strengths, and the Pacers have plenty of offensive talent to mask his weaknesses, which include movement shooting and ball handling, they will most likely have to bring him along slowly.

Born on December 7, 2004, Furphy entered the draft as one of the youngest prospects on the board but one of the most promising. An unfortunate series of events led to him leaving the green room without a home after the first round, but now he finds himself on arguably the perfect offensive team for him with an opportunity to contribute in the current day and in the future. The Pacers got an arguably lottery talent without trading up, and that will always get a good grade. Fantastic pick, and I can't wait to see what Furphy does in blue and gold.

Final Grade: A (Amazing value, arguably the steal of the draft)

Tristen Newton (Round 2: Pick 49):

I can't really summarize it better than this tweet right here.

Sure enough, you can never have too many Andrew Nembhards, and that is exactly what Tristen Newton reminds me of. A known winner after back-to-back National Championships with Dan Hurley and UConn where they relied on him quite often in the tournament, Newton is one of the older prospects in the draft, at an ancient 23 years old. However, that did not turn the Pacers off from picking him, and rightfully so.

At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Newton can play either guard position but thrives more as a point guard. Given his natural position, his skill set is quite vast. You would expect the lead guard on the back-to-back National Champions to be a good passer and facilitator, and that is exactly what Newton brings to the table, averaging 6.2 assists in his final college season.

Newton was also a very solid rebounder for a guard, averaging 6.6 boards per game in the 2024 college basketball season. All in all, Newton was arguably the second or third-best player on the 2024 UConn team, leading the team in points and assists while ranking second in rebounds behind Donovan Clingan, who stands 10 inches taller.

Newton also led the National Champion Huskies in minutes played, with 33.2 per game while playing all 40 games, showing excellent reliability and resilience, something the Pacers could use given their history of timely injuries. He is also an excellent free throw shooter, shooting 81% this past season and as high as 89.5% in his second season of college.

As for three-point shooting, he only shot 32% from deep on 5.5 attempts this season but the potential is certainly there, given the fact that he shot 36.6% the previous season on 3.2 attempts. The most telling part about his three-point shooting is the confidence being abundant. With the shooting progress players like Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith made once arriving in Indy, there is a good chance Tristen Newton becomes a solid three-point shooter, and maybe even an elite one.

Newton is also a fantastic defender at the guard position, with his impressive height and wingspan for a point guard allowing him to be a pest on that end and disrupt ball handlers as well as contest shots other guards cannot contest. While his feet are not the quickest, he is still very effective on that end regardless.

Perhaps the biggest flaw with Newton so far is that he has not mastered a specific skill that may give him a niece in the NBA. Newton is very much a jack of all trades, a master of none type who excels at multiple aspects without being elite in any. Additionally, his age does call his upside into question.

At 23 years old, he is one of the oldest players in the draft, but so was Andrew Nembhard, who turned 23 at the end of his draft year. Luckily for Newton, the Pacers are a great place for a jack-of-all-trades point guard to hone his skills, and with the mentorship of Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell, Newton can almost certainly carve out a niche for himself in Indy.

It was hard for Indy to find much better value at the 49th pick than Tristen Newton. At a part of the draft where most players do not sniff consistent minutes, Newton is a proven winner at the lead guard position, perhaps the hardest position for a rookie to come into the league playing. While he may not make an impact this season, it is very easy to imagine him having an Andrew Nembhard-type impact down the road, especially if Nembhard becomes too expensive for Indy to retain in the future.

Final Grade: B+ (Can't ask for better at 49, has a future on the team for sure)

Enrique Freeman (Round 2: Pick 50):

Remember when I said the Pacers desperately lack defensive and rebounding help and were embarrassed on the boards this season? Enrique Freeman to the rescue! Freeman easily has the most interesting journey to the league. A walk-on at Akron University who initially had no intention of playing basketball, Freeman surprised everyone by scoring 22 points to go with 21 rebounds in the third game of his first full season, never missing a start after that.

Additionally, Freeman also made history with his draft selection, becoming the first Akron Zip to ever be selected in the NBA Draft since it moved to the two-round format in 1989. In general, Freeman was the first Zip to be drafted to the NBA since 1987 when Marcel Boyce was selected with the 122nd pick in the sixth round by the Phoenix Suns (never played in the NBA). Freeman is only the ninth player in Akron basketball history to be drafted to the NBA and only the 16th player to ever be drafted from the MAC conference since 1990.

Enrique Freeman is a monster on the defensive end and on the boards, making the MAC All-Defensive Team for the past three seasons in a row. This past season, Freeman's 18.6 points per game average ranked fifth in the MAC and he not only led the conference in rebounding but the entire NCAA with 12.9 per game, even beating out Zach Edey in averages.

Additionally, Freeman also ranked first in the MAC in blocks per game in 2023 as well as ranking first in total blocks this past season with a 1.7 per game average in addition to averaging an astounding four blocks in the MAC tournament. Long story short, Enrique Freeman is an outstanding rebounder and defender with amazing hustle, especially for a big man who measured in at only 6-foot-7.5 barefoot at the combine.

As an offensive player, Freeman has a very old-school skill set, with most of his points coming from post-ups and left-shoulder hook shots. His massive 7-foot-2 wingspan allows him to play much bigger than his frame would suggest, with his incredible athleticism and hustle helping him run down the floor and finish highlight dunks in traffic.

This athleticism and high motor led to Freeman ranking third in the MAC in minutes played this past season while leading them in games played, which happened as a result of Akron making the NCAA Tournament, led by Freeman, who also led the MAC in PER and win shares, both offensive and defensive, as well as box plus/minus. The advanced stats really favor this guy as you will see.

Additionally, while his jumper still looks a bit wonky, Freeman showed some developing touch as a shooter in the 2024 season, shooting 72% from the line, and an impressive 37% from deep on 1.5 attempts per game. It is worth noting that his jumper is rather unorthodox, with it coming from his shoulder and taking a bit too long to get off, however, it does improve from further out from the basket.

Nevertheless, if Freeman wants that jumper to keep developing in the league, he should work on a higher release point going forward, which makes it even better that he is going to the most prolific three-point shooting team in the league with shot doctors at his disposal.

The biggest concern about Freeman is his height. At only 6-foot-7.5 barefoot, he is short for a conventional NBA center. While his athleticism and hustle on the boards and running down the floor will help, as well as his length, he needs to develop some strength to give himself a shot sizing up against stronger post players at the power forward and center positions in the league.

Speaking of post-players, his post-defense can use some work and his footwork is lacking at times. However, the raw athleticism, hustle, rebounding, shot-blocking, post offense, and developing jumper make it more than worth it for the Pacers to take a flyer at him with the 50th pick.

Enrique Freeman is easily the biggest project selected by the Pacers this season, but, like the other two selected before him, he certainly has a future in the league. There is always a place for athletic, rebounding big men who can score around the rim, block shots, run up and down the floor, and shoot a bit.

In a way, Freeman may be the pick suited most to Indiana's needs this season, as he can come in and immediately help with their defensive and rebounding woes with his breakneck, pedal-to-the-medal style of play. There is still plenty of work to be done, and an argument can be made about his stats being discredited a little bit due to the lack of competition he faced, but there is definitely a spot in the league for Freeman going forward.

Final Grade: B+ (Raw prospect, but great talent, especially with Pick 50)

Final Grade

It's pretty hard grading a draft full of second-round picks as highly as I am about to, but when you look at the value Indiana got and what these guys can provide in the short-term and especially the long-term, it is hard not to give Kevin Pritchard and Chad Buchanan a pat on the back for how they handled this.

Starting with Johnny Furphy, it is always great when you can get a first-round talent for a second-round price, and that is exactly what the Pacers got. Furphy can contribute right away as a better version of Doug McDermott with his standstill shooting, explosiveness, and hustle on the boards. Additionally, Indiana is the perfect place for him to develop shot creation and ball-handling abilities, which will most likely come along slowly.

As for picks 49 and 50, Enrique Freeman and Tristan Newton are definitely seen as projects, despite their advanced ages, but they definitely have futures in the league. Newton was one of the most important players for the back-to-back National Champions and Freeman was the best player, defender, and rebounder in the MAC Conference, ultimately leading Akron to only their sixth NCAA Tournament berth ever. Overall, two winners were selected with Indiana's back-to-back picks and while they might not produce right away, they can certainly have good NBA careers in the near future.

It is not often that I can say this, and I don't even believe this is a homer take. This might be the only time in NBA Draft history, where I can say that the 35th, 49th, and 50th picks can all have lengthy NBA careers. Furphy and Freeman have notable skill sets that give them a niche in the league for long, and Newton is exactly the all-around, jack-of-all-trades leader type of player that teams want coming off the bench and occasionally starting.

Overall, this was a fantastic draft for the Pacers. Despite having no first-round picks, they made the most of their selections and got three gems regardless. It will be interesting to see how these guys progress as Pacers and how they plan to be brought along by Rick Carlisle and the rest of the coaching staff.

One thing is for sure, though, the Pacers came out of the 2024 NBA Draft much richer than how they entered it.

Final Grade: A (Couldn't ask for better value)