Nembhard’s scoring prowess, Wiseman’s promise and more

INDIANAPOLIS – Andrew Nembhard scored 20 points on 6 of 8 shooting, Myles Turner added 13 and Tyrese Haliburton scored 11 to lead the White team over the Blue team in the Pacers’ fan jam on Sunday in front of a large crowd at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to.

Forward Obi Toppin led the blue team with 16 points. Center James Wiseman, who is dealing with a groin injury, scored eight points. Forward Jarace Walker also added eight points.

Here are five things we learned from the Pacers’ first public event of 2024-25.

Andrew Nembhard picks up where he left off

Nembhard is a point guard by trade, and throughout his basketball life his coaches had to push him to look for his own shot as he became more focused on supporting others. Although he often served as a shooting guard, Nembhard has generally favored All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton whenever the two were on the court together, focusing his game on moving the ball and having an impact to take defense.

But the Pacers coaching staff made it clear how important it was for him to produce points in the NBA playoffs last year, and Nembhard averaged 14.9 points after averaging 9.2 in the regular season had, and made 10.7 field goals per game in the postseason after only making 7.7 shots the rest of the year.

On Sunday, Nembhard showed that he returned to Indianapolis with the same willingness to attack. In 16 minutes, 31 seconds of action in the 20-minute scrimmage, Nembhard scored his 20 points on 6 of 8 shooting, knocking down 2 of 3 three-pointers and all six of his free throws. He tied with Turner for the White team lead in field goal attempts and made two more shots than anyone else on his team.

Nembhard was fearless from a distance, dribbled gently and mastered his mid-range jump shot with confidence. Despite having so rarely forced an attack so far in his career, he showed one of the qualities of a great goalscorer: the ability to get to his spot no matter how he is defended.

“I thought I got comfortable shots,” Nembhard said. “And that’s why they went down. We moved the ball well so I didn’t have to take too many difficult balls. I somehow got into the rhythm. I felt good out there.”

Nembhard recognizes that he has a different way of thinking than he did a year ago. Even for Team Canada, he showed more aggression than in the past and feels he sees the game differently.

“I think I’ve changed my game over the last three or four years to where I’m not necessarily a goalscorer first and foremost, but rather I think about the goal and let everything else come from that,” Nembhard said. “I think I’m really starting to reach that point.”

James Wiseman has a chance in the backup center race

Isaiah Jackson didn’t play at all due to injury and James Wiseman only played a half after missing significant practices in the first week due to a groin injury. But Wiseman’s 8-11 effort showed it will be difficult for Jackson to keep the backup job he finally wrested from Jalen Smith in last year’s playoffs.

Wiseman never became the dominant force in Golden State that the Warriors hoped could take over the franchise when Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green all eventually moved on. But he doesn’t need to do anything that dramatic to be the backup behind Myles Turner and justify his veteran minimum contract. He just needs to use his 6-foot-10, 220-pound height and athleticism to score at the rim, grab rebounds and block shots.

He recorded no blocks Sunday but scored eight points on 4-of-6 shooting and grabbed three rebounds, including two on the offensive glass, in just over eight minutes. He showed some shooting ability with a mid-range jumper, but also threw down a few dunks and finished another shot just wide of the rim. He showed he could keep up with the Pacers’ rapid pace in both half and full court, dominating the court on the counterattack but also staying on the move in attack sets to find open space.

Jackson can do all of those things too, as he has proven in three seasons on the roster. He has been working on his sweater in the offseason and appears ready to expand his game. He’s also a much more productive shot blocker at this point in his career. But Jackson has a 6-10 advantage over Wiseman’s true 7-1, and his experience may not be enough to make up for that size difference.

The starting five won’t be easy to crack

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle has done what he can to force competition in a camp with so many returning players and so many established roles, but with 17 days separating the Pacers from their home opener against the Pistons on Oct. 23 in Detroit , it’s difficult I can imagine anyone doing anything that would convince him to shake up last season’s starting five.

The White team that won included the Pacers’ playoff starting five – Haliburton, Nembhard, Turner, Aaron Nesmith and Pascal Siakam – and their chemistry obviously helped in the win. The White team shot 21 of 34 from the floor (61.8%), knocking down 13 of 18 attempts in the first half. The Whites squad also included backup forwards Kendall Brown and James Johnson Jr. and two-way freshmen Tristen Newton and Enrique Freeman, but that group only consisted of two of three players combined.

Nembhard’s performance determined the game. Haliburton made three three-pointers on six attempts and dished out five assists in addition to his 11 points. Turner scored 13 points on 4 of 8 shooting, including a tomahawk dunk and a 3-pointer. Siakam scored eight points and seven rebounds, leading all players on the glass. Nesmith scored four points for the most modest statistical output, but he will be hard to dislodge simply because he has become the Pacers’ most reliable and versatile defender.

Guard Bennedict Mathurin and forward Obi Toppin, in particular, have plenty to offer to get into the starting lineup, and they could actually be two of the Pacers’ top five offensive players. Mathurin had a tough afternoon, scoring six points on one of eight shots, but Toppin was every bit the dynamic dynamo he usually is. However, with defense taking center stage and Haliburton, Siakam and Turner providing plenty of offense themselves, it’s hard to imagine Mathurin or Toppin doing anything that could knock Nembhard and Nesmith out of their respective rooms.

The second unit could include more than five players

The Pacers could make a firm decision on a 10-man rotation, and that could result in two worthy players on the outside waiting for something to change their fortunes, but their strength could also give them the versatility to use different personnel and to play different situations and encounters depending on the game.

The Pacers know who their backup point guard is, and TJ McConnell is back at the helm of the second unit after the best offensive season of his career. But they could move something at any other position. Mathurin and Toppin will definitely be part of the equation, but Mathurin could play the 2 or 3 and Toppin could play anywhere between 3 and 5. Sophomore wingers Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard each made progress in camp, with Sheppard showing more aggression on offense and Walker showing more feel on defense and a more complete offensive game. Walker can handle the 4 if Toppin plays the 5, but he can also play the 3 if the Pacers want to play a little bigger.

Sheppard scored seven points on three of three shooting Sunday and Walker had eight points with two 3-pointers, three assists, two rebounds and a steal. They could end up fighting for a position on the wing, but both are clearly worth playing time and the Pacers could split the minutes so they both get it.

Enrique Freeman is the most polished singer and dancer of the rookies

Fan Jam, of course, means bullying rookies, and the Pacers’ rookies once again had to dress up in costumes and sing and dance karaoke. Enrique Freeman, the forward from Akron with a two-way contract, benefited from a song everyone in the audience knew – Uptown Funk by Bruno Mars – but sang it with gusto while dressed as Monsters Inc.’s Mike Wazowski . As the three rookies performed a dance-off to Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie,” Freeman appeared to have the most polished Dougie form.

Former Connecticut guard Tristen Newton, dressed as Fred Flintstone, had his problems on both counts, but Australian winger Johnny Furphy was at least willing to be dressed as one of the Incredibles.

And considering how committed he was to hosting the event, it’s hard to imagine Turner giving up the microphone when his contract expires after this season.

(This story has been updated with more information and videos.)

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Pacers Fan Jam: 5 things to know from the public scrimmage