Point guard Ty Lawson was signed just over a week ago, but his time on the court for game action has been limited to just five minutes. That’s because he sprained his left foot the night he signed with the team just five minutes in.
Still, he impressed in that role off the bench with two assists and a rebound.
After being sidelined for both road games on the road over the weekend, in Dallas and Atlanta, Lawson was aiming to return Tuesday with the Boston Celtics in town. However, he woke up sore and in pain. So eager to return that he believes he overdid it the day before.
![Lawson impressed in his first game as a Pacer, though he was limited to just five minutes. [Photo: Frank McGrath/PS&E]](https://i0.wp.com/www.vigilantsports.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/2016-03-07-Ty-Lawson-first-game-as-Pacer.jpg?resize=236%2C278)
Lawson impressed in his first game as a Pacer, though he was limited to just five minutes. [Photo: Frank McGrath/PS&E]
“I was actually shooting to play in this game but (Monday) I think I did a little too much. I didn’t feel any pain until I played 5-on-5 a little bit.”
On Monday, Lawson put in a double dose of work. (After playing on consecutive games, the team took the day off — as usual)
Early in the day, he worked on perimeter jump shots while moving and then he ran on the pool treadmill. Then, he came back at 6:00 p.m. to shoot some more and he played some 5-on-5 to see how he’d feel running up and down.
The latter is what he believes pushed it too far.
Officially for Monday, Lawson was listed as questionable. He wanted to at least dress and try to give it a go, but the training staff nixed that idea.
Lawson got another X-ray of his left foot Tuesday night to see if they missed anything but it came back negative once again. That’s a good sign.
He sat out most of the team’s practices last week. He did do some shooting work and spent a half hour running through sets to familiarize himself with the Pacers’ plays. Lawson went “at a light speed but nothing live,” coach Frank Vogel said.
Upon signing with the Pacers, he was given an iPad with all of their plays on them for him to study. The fact that he played under Brian Shaw, the Pacers’ associate head coach from 2011-13, in Denver for a year and a half helped him out in joining the Pacers. He already knows their actions, the Pacers just used different terminology than the Nuggets.
“Everything’s good,” Lawson said when asked about his grasp for what the Pacers are trying to execute. “I’m cool. I feel at home.”
It’s no secret that Shaw and Lawson did not get along. Shaw was fired 59 games into the 2014-15 season. He did not return a phone call last week in my attempt to gather more information on Lawson, but he did speak to Vogel.
“I don’t want to share all of that stuff,” Vogel said, not wanting to get into it. “The important thing is that that was the past and (Ty) is coming into a new situation now. That’s all we’re concentrating on.”
It’s likely that Lawson will be on some sort of minutes restriction for his first few games back, dependent on how he feels and how his left ankle responds to heavier use. With just 15 games left on their regular-season slate, the sooner the better.
“I am hopeful that tomorrow will give me a day off, and then Thursday I can go,” Lawson said. “Ready to get after it!”