Pacers' Duane Washington Jr. Confident In Turnaround, Says Young Guys Are 'Taking Over'

Weeks into the Indiana Pacers' offseason, many guys are still around the facility and working out everyday. That bodes well for this franchise and Duane Washington Jr. explains why.

INDIANAPOLIS — It's now been over seven weeks since the Pacers' disappointing season finally ended. They won 25 games, lost 10 in a row to end the year, but have a lot of room for hope entering next season.

It will be Year 2 under head coach Rick Carlisle. They now Tyrese Haliburton, the point guard they've needed for more than a decade. Oh, and he's still on a rookie contract. They also have the No. 6 pick, their highest selection since 1988.

They also have a bunch of young guys on the roster who know they have a long way to go and they're driven to get there. That's a great thing.

Therefore, many of the guys have hung around in Indy and spent much of the last two months here. Guys like Haliburton, Duane Washington Jr., Isaiah Jackson, Terry Taylor, T.J. McConnell and Lance Stephenson.

They're having fun together, working tougher and experiencing new things together — like being introduced to IndyCar at the Indianapolis 500.

We've also seen in previous offseason that those who stick around often made a big jump the next season. Like C.J. Miles and Stephenson.

In an interview with Fieldhouse Files, Washington Jr. touched on the team's offseason and how many players are still around.

"We believe that iron sharpens iron," he said. "To be where we want to be and to do what we want to do and the things that we’ve been talking about, it’s gonna take a lot of work. We’re just holding each other accountable right now. We believe that the more we work, the more we build together, the more we continue to grow as teammates, it’s gonna help us perform later in the year. And that time starts now so we’ve been taking advantage of it as much as we can — being with the coaches, being with each other. We still got time this summer to get better and we’re going to utilize that. The young guys are taking over so we’re just trying to keep going and mature as quickly as possible so we can help the team win."

One year ago, Washington Jr. was gearing up for the draft after playing at Ohio State. He went undrafted, then signed a two-way contract in Indy. By the final week of the season, he was signed to a standard NBA deal. He had earned it.

Over the weekend, he represented the team in the 500 Festival Parade ahead of the Indianapolis 500.

Here’s Pacers guard Duane Washington Jr. at the beginning of the @500Festival parade route, along with Kelsey Mitchell and NaLyssa Smith from the Fever. pic.twitter.com/Rauxy52zV5

— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) May 28, 2022

The team hosted six more draft prospects to the practice facility on Tuesday. The Pacers have picks 6, 31 and 58 — and plenty of options at their disposal.

Having a core of young guys growing together, though, is a very, very good thing.

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