Ben Sheppard finished at summer league for Indiana Pacers after trying to expand his game in two outings

Sheppard played in two summer league games

Indiana Pacers wing Ben Sheppard warms up at halftime for a 2024 summer league game. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Tony East) /

LAS VEGAS — Indiana Pacers wing Ben Sheppard is done appearing in 2024 summer league games, according to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files. He played in Indiana's first two summer outings, then was in street clothes during their third game Tuesday night.

Before the action began, Sheppard detailed that he wanted to be more aggressive during summer league action. His skillset works well when playing off of his teammates — during his rookie season, he was a catch-and-shoot weapon and workable defender.

He hoped to show more ability in the Las Vegas sessions. The 23-year old was working with Pacers assistant and summer league head coach Jannero Pargo on getting to the rim and finishing, something he knows will need to be the next evolution of his game in the NBA.

"I shoot a lot of threes. People are starting to run me off the line. So just being able to make plays, making the right plays off of situations like that," Sheppard said of his summer league. His teammates had to encourage him to shoot when he was open during his rookie season, so this is the next step of his offensive growth.

Summer league opened for the Pacers against the Brooklyn Nets, and that outing ended up as an overtime loss for the blue and gold. Sheppard's focus was clear — he took nine shots, and five of them were from inside the arc. But he went 1/9 from the field and didn't have a single assist, struggling to put together the passes or finishes he wanted.

There were moments where he tried to break down the defense and get into the paint. His defense early was strong, and it led to transition chances for both Sheppard and his team. But the finishing wasn't quite there, and the young guard wanted more from himself.

"Honestly, I feel like I could have done a lot better on both ends of the ball," The Belmont product told Pacers on SI. He was learning the tempo of this summer group and figuring out how to work with his new teammates, and the outing didn't go the way he wanted.

"I feel like I was more aggressive at the rim. I've got to finish some of those easy ones," he added. Sheppard was happy with his bright spots on defense, but he also admitted he made some errors positionally.

The 26th pick in the 2023 draft finished that first game with four points, two rebounds, three steals, three turnovers, and three fouls. Indiana outscored Brooklyn in his minutes yet still came up short. A few more high-level possessions from Sheppard would have been enough to notch a win.

During Indiana's second outing, Sheppard wanted to take better care of the ball and get his teammates involved. That all needed to come on top of knocking some shots down. He had room to take a step forward.

Pargo noted that summer league was about getting Sheppard's confidence elevated. The second game, which was against the Minnesota Timberwolves this past Sunday, was an opportunity for that to happen for the second-year wing.

Shots finally dropped for Sheppard, who made two of his four threes. He still struggled with his rim pressure and finishing, though, going 1/3 on two-point looks. He added an assist while having three turnovers again.

"Personally, I think I could do some things better," Sheppard said of his first two games. He was having fun playing and tried to move on quickly from his mistakes.

The young wing played in the Eastern Conference Finals less than two months ago. He was a starter twice in that series. It's clear how he can impact winning in the NBA, though in summer league he was trying to springboard that success into a more varied attack.

"I'd just say aggressiveness. Taking care of open shots and stuff like that," Sheppard said of that process. "People know that I like to shoot the three-point ball, so being able to make the right play off the dribble is something I've been working on this offseason. Stuff like that."

He wanted to take better care of the ball in his second outing, but he still had three turnovers. His passing was better, though, and his handle was more refined. He tried to make heads up plays and get into the paint, something the Pacers emphasized during the regular season.

"Just quick reads. Someone's flying at me, just be able to make the right play," Sheppard said of what he looked to do off the dribble. "I've been doing that for a long time, but last year I didn't get to do it as much." He finished his second summer league outing with 10 points.

With Sheppard's summer league now over, he finished with averages of 7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.5 assists per game. There were moments, particularly on defense, where he looked like an experienced player. In terms of the aggressiveness attacking the rim, Sheppard wanted more from himself.

While growth is always important, he doesn't need a ton of handling and attacking skills to be good for Indiana during the regular season. "[Sheppard] is great for us. We know what we are going to get out of (him)," Pargo said. "It's hard play on both ends of the floor. Shot making. And just competing on every possession."

The young wing will split time between Nashville and Indianapolis once summer league is over — that way he can train and decompress ahead of his second NBA season. He'll hope that the game slows down and his ability to attack the rim improves.

It may not matter, especially when considering what the Pacers will ask Sheppard to do this season.
"He was tremendous in the playoffs. He doesn't do anything that is super wow other than go super hard, he really moves the ball," Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said of Sheppard during the broadcast of Pacers-Nets. "He takes open shots, and he defends without fouling. It's boring sounding stuff if you're into YouTube highlights and stuff like that."

It may sound boring, but it sure is effective. While Sheppard wanted to improve his YouTube-esque plays, he had little to prove during his now-finished summer league otherwise.

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