The Indiana Pacers lost backup center Jalen Smith to the Bulls in free agency. Smith was a significant member of the bench during the regular season. He shot 59% from the field and 42% from three. He got paid a significant amount from the Bulls to continue being a backup.
That left a whole at backup center for Indiana. Isaiah Jackson was the backup in the playoffs, but he still has some holes in his game. The Pacers wanted to make sure that they bolstered that position up a little bit more as they try to make the final leap to the NBA Finals.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pacers have signed James Wiseman to a two-year deal. They bring in the young center to compete with Jackson for the backup center minutes. Wiseman spent this past two seasons as a member of the Pistons.
The Pacers make a low-risk, high-reward signing by bringing in James Wiseman
Wiseman played in a career-high 63 games for Detroit a year ago. He averaged 7 points and 5 rebounds while playing 17 minutes a game. He was on a team that had a ton of centers, so his playing time was a bit unsettled throughout the season.
As you may know, Wiseman was the second overall pick by the Warriors in the 2020 NBA Draft. He didn't play very much for them and has now bounced around to his third team in five seasons. Despite this, he's still just 23 years old and has a ton of physical talent.
This is a great signing for the Pacers. It's a low-risk signing that could end up paying big dividends in the playoffs if he can finally put it together. He's never been able to get consistent playing time. If he can beat Jackson in training camp for the backup minutes, he can finally get his career on track.
Indiana loves collecting members of the 2020 Draft class. They have Tyrese Haliburton, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, and they used to have Jalen Smith. Now, they add Wiseman.