Circumstances move Pacers sharpshooter Chris Copeland to small forward

Nearly every home game last season, Pacers fans pleaded to see No. 22 Chris Copeland get an opportunity. The cheers were loud, causing non-regulars at Bankers Life Fieldhouse to question what all the screams and chants were about.

One thing was clear: The seldom-used sharpshooter had become a fan favorite in less than a year. Hoosiers love shooters and Copeland fits the bill.

Chris Copeland is entering his second year with the Pacers.

He’s also an incredibly humble person. Two seasons ago at this time, he joined the New York Knicks for training camp with no guarantees. The next summer he signed his first guaranteed NBA deal with the Pacers for $6.1 million over two years.

Circumstances, however, kept him out of the rotation last season, and this year it’s different circumstances that are re-directing him to small forward.

“We were looking at our options,” said Pacers head coach Frank Vogel, “and I’ve always been mindful of trying to get Cope on the floor more and it just made sense that, even though he’s not a natural small forward in my mind, he’s capable if he’s made that way full-time, if he’s made to learn those responsibilities full-time.”

The move was first discussed at Copeland’s exit interview with Vogel last June. It was then decided for good a week or so after Paul George broke his right leg on Aug. 1 while playing with Team USA. Because of the injury, and the loss of Lance Stephenson in free agency, there is now a gaping hole at the wing spot.

Copeland began his offseason training a week after the team lost to Miami for the second straight postseason in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the guidance of strength coach Shawn Windle, Copeland dropped 20 pounds in June.

But then after testing his new weight, about 220, in pickup games, he realized that wasn’t where he wanted to be.

“I play all summer long,” he said, “so playing against bigger guys I was like ‘This isn’t going to work.’ I want to be able to play the 3 but I still want to be able to bang [in the post].”

So, after weighing “over 240” last season, Copeland is hovering around 230 pounds as training camp opened this week.

Copeland, who bought a home on Indy’s Northside last year and spent most of the offseason in town, worked out four or five days a week during the summer and typically took the weekends off. In addition to agility, stamina, and weight training work with Windle, — “I lived in the weight room,” he said — Copeland took pointers from guard George Hill, who Vogel said had an offseason unlike any one he had season before.

“Moving to small forward, he’s going to guard guys that are quicker, more athletic, more versatile, agile and things like that,” said Hill. “Just teaching him how to get smaller on screens, how to get through different flopping actions, and things like that.”

Copeland added, “I was doing drills chasing George Hill around down screens and whatnot. They just were running me through Figure-8s off screens and Day 1 looked horrible. [I was] listening to Paul [George] and George, especially, throughout the summer because there’s a lot of things they have to teach you. I’ve played 3 in different positions but usually I’ve been a switch guy.”

Copeland played in the local Knox Indy Pro Am over the summer. (Photo by Defro.)

Yes, defense is obviously the biggest challenge for him at the ‘3’. He’ll have to grasp new assignments and will be matched up against quicker guards. That’s one of the reason speed was his focus over the summer.

“I think all year is going to be a work-in-progress [for him], but in particular because he’s changing positions,” Vogel said. “The defensive responsibilities of our bigs are dramatically different than the defensive responsibilities of our wings.”

Vogel was then asked if he thinks Copeland can consistently guard small forwards.

“I think he can do well enough to let his offense shine,” he said. “Is he going to be Paul George? He’s not going to be Paul George. But he’s got to work at it, he’s got to bring a great deal of spirit and competitiveness to that end and he’s got to pick up his assignments.”

Copeland played small forward in 2012 during his first — and only — season with the New York Knicks, albeit in a very different system. (One of the reasons the Pacers were so interested in his services was because he was a ‘Pacers Killer’.) It’s one thing to switch off in a selected area. Guards and wings, however, will be running actions and cutting off screens.

“He’s going to have to pick up point guards sometimes,” Vogel continued. “He’s going to have to pickup speedy 2s. And he’s going to have to play perimeter defense against all perimeter players, and that’s part of the challenge of moving him to small forward. He’s been working diligently at it and hopefully it pays off.”

As for his offense, well, the team knows what it’s getting.

“… He’s not just a spot-up shooter in my mind,” Vogel said. “He’s really good at putting the ball on the floor. I think you can put him in pick-and-rolls, I think you can post him, I think you can bring him off pin-downs, I think he’s a heck of an offensive weapon if we could just get him up to speed on the defensive end at that wing spot.

Chris Copeland never has a distinct role with the team during the 2013-14 season. He was signed in July, 2013, to be an outside threat and likely get the most power forward minutes playing behind West.

Then, everything changed after Pacers President Larry Bird was able to execute a trade for Luis Scola, a crafty veteran who had coveted for quite awhile.

During the season, Copeland went through the same pre-game routine: 1) Get shots up on the court, 2) Head back to the locker room, 3) Sit at his corner locker with headphones on and play dominos on his iPad, 4) attend chapel with a handful of teammates 60 minutes before tip, 5) then receive final instructions from Vogel in the adjacent team room.

But he only took off his warmups in half of the games and then played an average of seven minutes or so. Not enough time to get in a rhythm and comfortable.

Vogel, who sees Copeland as more of a power forward but that position is backed up with solid talent in West and Scola, gave a detailed, honest assessment of Cope’s usage last season.

“Last year I felt like the times we tried him at small forward, we tried him there without giving him a high volume of reps in training camp and in practice, and it’s a different responsibility,” Vogel said. “So if he fails or the group fails when he tried small forward, I don’t think it’s solely on him.”

Copeland, to his credit, never showed signs last season of the lack of playing time bothering him. When asked about it, he reiterated to the media that he would remain ready and do whatever was needed of him when called upon.

It did take a toll on him, but he learned what he could he refocused that energy.

“I took the year, as frustrating as it was as a competitor, I feel like I learned a lot from just watching those guys and watching everybody play,” Copeland said. “I took it as a growing experience.”

10 pounds lighter, noticeably quicker on the floor, and a clear plan in place since August has put Copeland in a position to succeed. He’s going to have to really work at it, but this could be a year for him to make an impact and help his team do its best to seal the hole.

A tested Copeland, now 30, was 28 years old before he received an opportunity in the NBA. Now, it’s about delivering and thus helping his team answer one of the dozens of questions entering the season.

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