The Pacers sent two more players to Fort Wayne on Sunday, assigning Glenn Robinson III and rookie Joe Young to their NBA Developmental League affiliate.
The Mad Ants have a home game Sunday afternoon (5:00 p.m. ET) against Sioux Falls so it’s a good opportunity to send two seldom-used guys up to get some game action in, and then have them re-join the Pacers on Monday morning.
See Also: VIDEOS: Pacers players creating highlights with Mad Ants
“It was Larry’s idea,” Pacers coach Frank Vogel said Sunday after practice. “I support him and it’s great for those guys. There’s very little practice here so for those guys to go and play 30 minutes and get hit and get tired and get some game shots, we can’t replicate that here. [It’s] really intelligent use of our D-League team.”
Vogel added that because all games are broadcasted live on YouTube, he often checks in on his players assigned to the Mad Ants.
This is GRIII’s first time being sent to the D-League while with the Pacers. The second-year wing is behind several veterans but has played in 18 games this season, averaging 4.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in 10.1 minutes per game.
“I don’t anticipate that he’ll spend a lot of time in the D-League,” Vogel said of GRIII. “If there’s a game or two here where it makes sense for him to get some run, then we’ll send him up there.”
Meantime, it’s Young’s second assignment. Earlier this month, Young and his agent thought it would be best for him to get on the floor for a weekend pair of games, so he did.
“Just got to keep working,” Young, who scored 27 and 17 points, respectively, told me after his short stint. “I know I can play at this level (NBA) up here and I just have to wait for my turn, wait for my opportunity.”
[Joe Young discusses his D-League debut]
They also recalled forward Shayne Whittington, who has been in Fort Wayne since the D-League season opened, because NBA teams can only assign a maximum of three players at a time. Rakeem Christmas will be joined on the floor Sunday with Robinson III and Young, and Whittington stayed with the Mad Ants and simply was given the day off.
Appearing in 12 D-League games this season, Whittington is averaging 11.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. He’s shooting 38.5 percent from the floor.
Watch a replay of Sunday’s game below: