Pacers executives and scouts watch workouts at the St. Vincent Center.
The Pacers brought in a total of 29 players over a two-week period ahead of the 2018 NBA Draft, set for Thursday, June 21 at 7:30 pm ET on ESPN.
The process of bringing players in for pre-draft workouts began later than normal for the Pacers, not until June 7th. Team evaluators spent several weeks on the west coast as agencies held pro days to showcase their prospects. These mostly took place in Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
They own picks 23 and 50 and it’s worth noting that the franchise has made a draft-day trade 10 times over the last dozen years. Last year, they acquired pick 52 from New Orleans for cash — which they then used to draft guard Edmond Sumner out of Xavier.
“There’s good players at 23,” Ryan Carr, the Pacers’ Director of Player Personnel said two days before the draft.
“We’re trying to figure out who exactly will be there, based on intel and what other teams like. It’s a good draft. I’d say it’s a little deeper than probably what we thought at the start of the year as different kids emerge and show that they’ve gotten better.”
Carr made clear that it will not be able filling a need, but rather selecting the best player available. This will be the Pacers’ second draft where Kevin Pritchard makes the final call.
Watch interviews from select key prospects below: