Whittington visited with fans at St. Vincent Fishers’ men’s health fair on Wednesday.
Shayne Whittington, who signed with the Pacers last July as an undrafted free agent, told VigilantSports.com that he will participate in the team’s free agent/rookie camp and then play on their Summer League entry.
This will be a first for the 24-year-old forward out of Western Michigan. He broke his leg during a pre-draft workout more than 13 months ago. That’s one of the reasons he wasn’t drafted. Whittington attended free agent/rookie camp last year, but was obviously very limited.
“That’s what I’m working for right now,” Whittington said of Summer League play. “I wasn’t able to do it last year so I’m excited to see what it’s all about this year.”
As usual, the Pacers will compete in the Orlando Summer League, which this year runs from July 4-10. Each of the 10 teams, including two from the Magic, will play five games over the seven-day event. The Pacers placed third in 2013 and 2014.
During his rookie season, Whittington appeared in 20 games and averaged 2.9 points and 1.5 rebounds per game. In April, prior to the conclusion of the Pacers’ season, he joined the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the team’s D-League affiliate, for a larger opportunity and to get more game reps. The Mad Ants advanced all the way to the Finals and then were swept by the Santa Cruz Warriors.
[Offseason Q&A with Shayne Whittington]
Although the 2014-15 NBA season is over and there are no more games until the Fall, there’s still plenty going on.
On Wednesday and Thursday, the team is holding a free agent mini-camp. It primarily consists of D-League players, guys from overseas, and other free agents.
The 2015 NBA Draft is a week from Thursday, on June 25th, and the Pacers have picks 11 and 43. By the end of the month, David West and Roy Hibbert will have decided on their player options and then the team’s attention shifts to free agency and Summer League.
Whittington was not sure if anyone else from last year’s team, like Solomon Hill or Damjan Rudež, would also partake.
“Everything is getting pretty exciting,” he said. “Summer League is coming, the draft is coming. Everything is coming up real quick.”