INDIANAPOLIS– Ben Sheppard listened to the query about his four-point play that tied Thursday’s preseason sport in opposition to the Hornets, flashed the smile of a person with a secret he simply cannot preserve, lowered his head, l ‘picked up and revealed this secret.
THE Pacers The sophomore guard is not positive he deserves the free throw that adopted the 3-pointer he hit with 3.9 seconds left in regulation. Charlotte winger KJ Simpson was reaching for the ball and slipped and fell at Sheppard’s toes, however even Sheppard was stunned that officers known as it a foul.
“I don’t know if I received hit for actual,” Sheppard mentioned. “Let’s simply say I did.”
Perhaps it was a fortunate break, but it surely was an opportunity Sheppard earned by bringing the Pacers again from a 16-point deficit and refusing to permit them to take action within the fourth quarter of their remaining preseason sport. Sheppard scored 11 of his 14 factors within the fourth quarter, serving to the Pacers outscore the Hornets by 12 within the interval. That four-point play with 3.9 seconds left despatched the sport into time beyond regulation the place they received 121-116 to complete the preseason 2-2.
The three-point shot itself was a product of Sheppard who merely by no means gave in, staying motivated even in a sport that did not rely. The Pacers trailed by 4 after they received the ball from the baseline with 8.6 seconds left in regulation, seemingly needing a miracle to tie the sport. Guard Quenton Jackson obtained a bounce move from guard Tristen Newton, however misplaced management of it and his toes, falling because the ball rolled to the left wing out of bounds. Sheppard was above the highest of the important thing and never significantly near the play, however he sprinted to the sideline, received the ball, put his toes down and took a shot hoping that possibly he may touchdown on Simpson and getting a name, as a result of in any other case the Pacers had been brief. time. This break and the free throw that Sheppard managed to comply with allowed the Pacers to proceed taking part in.
That shot capped 1 / 4 through which Sheppard made 4 of 6 subject targets after making simply three photographs within the first three durations. The Pacers trailed 85-73 early within the interval, however Sheppard stole a move and went the gap for a layup and foul with 10:03 remaining, which appeared to ignite them. By the tip of the sport, Sheppard was on the sphere with three gamers on two-way contracts – Newton, Jackson and Enrique Freeman – in addition to ahead Cole Swider who was nonetheless combating for the ultimate roster spot. However Sheppard and Freeman, who scored 9 of his 15 factors in time beyond regulation, supplied the vitality the Pacers did not get on their first two drives.
“We had been simply motivated,” Sheppard mentioned. “The primary few moments of the sport simply did not go our approach. We had no vitality. We simply got here in with a spark and tried to get ourselves again into the sport and make issues occur.”
This, after all, is why Pacers coach Rick Carlisle is such a giant fan of Sheppard. He’s at all times motivated, even in a match like Thursday, it finally would not matter. He at all times makes one thing occur.
That is why Sheppard earned a rotation spot final season and even began playoff video games after being the No. 26 decide within the 2023 draft and spending a lot of the first half of the season on the bench. Carlisle discovered that each time Sheppard was on the courtroom, he introduced vitality – working across the courtroom as laborious as potential, chasing down each free ball he may attain, defending his place properly and hitting the open photographs that received him had been arriving. He averaged 4.4 factors in 14.3 minutes per sport within the common season, however the mixture of Bennedict Mathurin’s shoulder harm and Sheppard’s unstoppable motor value him 19.7 minutes per sport within the playoffs. playoffs. Within the NBA playoffs, solely seven different gamers earned extra minutes off the bench, and two of them had been Pacers teammates, TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin.
“He’s a confirmed competitor,” Carlisle mentioned of the previous Belmont star. “I actually cannot give a man a much bigger praise going into his sophomore 12 months. You know what you are going to get. It is limitless. It is pure. All of it depends upon the crew. It’s all about making an attempt to win a sport.”
It was significantly uplifting on an evening when the beginning 5’s struggles had been main Carlisle to critical consternation and even the second unit wasn’t doing sufficient to alleviate the issues.
The Pacers made seven of their first eight subject objective makes an attempt, however even then they solely constructed an 18-14 lead as a result of they weren’t doing sufficient to cease the Hornets. They took a seven-point lead within the first quarter and led 29-25 after the interval, however they had been outscored 36-20 within the second interval and starters Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner and Andrew Nembhard had been -15 in 9. minutes they spent on the ground collectively in that span, taking pictures a mixed 3 of 10, grabbing simply two rebounds and turning the ball over 5 occasions. Turner scored 18 factors, together with 14 within the first quarter, and Haliburton scored 14, however all 4 completed the sport -12 or worse. Ahead Aaron Nesmith performed fewer minutes and was -7.
There was sufficient of a pattern of gradual begins and poor protection that Carlisle is legitimately involved.
“Now we have quite a lot of work to do earlier than subsequent Wednesday,” Carlisle mentioned. “We’re not the place we must be. I actually have to take a look at what is going on on. Our beginning group simply is not collectively and we’re not doing a ok job in quite a lot of essential areas by way of physicality, with bouncing again, with unity. It is as much as me to proceed engaged on this.
However whereas the remainder of the crew has struggled to regain their kind from April and Could, Sheppard seems to have picked up the place he left off. He is averaging 9.0 factors per sport in preseason video games, with extra aggression off the dribble and the identical degree of constant grit on protection. And as common, the Pacers are higher when he is on the courtroom, as they’re +23 in his minutes by way of 4 video games. Solely Newton (+33) has a greater preseason quantity.
“I simply say each time I get a chance to get on the sphere, I simply attempt to present the participant that I’m,” Sheppard mentioned. “I am only a crew participant, a excessive IQ participant who performs the precise approach. I really feel like each time I’m going on the market, I need not do something is outdoors my abilities.”
And Carlisle makes some extent of letting Sheppard know he notices, regardless that a few of the rotations he is utilized in preseason counsel Sheppard could be the odd man out — extra particularly, the eleventh man in a 10-man rotation.
As fearful as Carlisle is for the time being, there isn’t any motive to consider he would change his beginning 5 of Haliburton, Nembhard, Nesmith, Siakam and Turner. McConnell and Toppin have each motive to really feel safe within the second unit spots at level guard and energy ahead after sturdy playoff performances and profitable offseason contracts. Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman are engaged in a battle for the second unit middle place. That leaves taking pictures guard and small ahead spots for Sheppard, classmate Jarace Walker and guard Bennedict Mathurin.
Sheppard has disadvantages within the race. The Pacers invested extra in Mathurin and Walker than Sheppard as they had been chosen No. 6 and No. 8 within the 2022 and 2023 drafts, respectively, changing into the Pacers’ first top-nine draft picks since Rik Smits went No. 2 in 1988 and George McCloud went No. 7 in 1989. Mathurin earned first-team All-Rookie honors in 2022-23 because the third-leading scorer amongst Pacers rookies in historical past of the NBA franchise. Walker received fewer minutes than Sheppard as a rookie, however he has a uncommon assortment of offensive abilities for a 6-8, 235-pound ahead with a 7-2 1/2 wingspan. Walker transitions from energy ahead to small ahead and he has performed extra whole minutes – 94 – than every other Pacer as a result of Carlisle offers him the chance to pressure his approach up the courtroom extra persistently.
However that does not imply Carlisle has forgotten Sheppard. The 6-6 wing performed some minutes with the second unit and a few with the third, however he performed 89 minutes whole within the preseason, second solely to Walker. Sheppard might not be on the second unit on opening night time, however in some methods he is the participant Carlisle trusts probably the most among the many three. He could be the participant Carlisle trusts probably the most on the crew to come back in chilly within the second half if he did not seem within the first half or to play heavy minutes after taking part in a number of video games with out see the bottom.
So no matter function he performs when the season opens, Carlisle will be certain he has an opportunity to make one thing occur.
“A whole lot of occasions guys like which can be taken with no consideration as a result of they’re nice folks they usually appear low-maintenance,” Carlisle mentioned. “But it surely’s essential that we proceed to remind him how essential he’s to our tradition, how essential he’s to our crew. Definitely, all of the actually, actually optimistic issues he did within the playoffs final 12 months It is a new 12 months, however the good thing is that it hasn’t modified in any respect and doubtless by no means will.”
This text was initially printed on the Indianapolis Star: Pacers vs Hornets: Will Ben Sheppard be within the Pacers rotation
