Cole Swider picked the Indiana Pacers over other opportunities, now hopes to proves he belongs

Swider joined the Pacers in August

Indiana Pacers wing Cole Swider speaks with reporters after a practice on October 2, 2024. (Mandatory Photo Credit: Pacers On SI) / Tony East

INDIANAPOLIS — Cole Swider wasn't sure where he would be for training camp in 2024, yet he still knew he would be in a familiar situation.

During both of Swider's first two seasons in the NBA, he had to fight to stick around on a roster through camp. His rookie year was in Los Angeles with the Lakers, and Swider was on a two-way deal at the time. Last year with the Miami Heat, Swider was impressive during preseason action and had his Exhibit 10 contract converted to a two-way deal. He has exited training camp in a better spot than he entered it twice.

This year, Swider shared that he had a few teams that were interested in his services. Yet he chose the Indiana Pacers, and he hopes to repeat his early-practice success from past campaigns. The 25-year old has been with his new team for two months now, and he is starting to get acclimated to a new system and roster.

"Your conditioning has to be at a high level... Overall, just just getting adjusted to it," Swider said of his adjustment to the Pacers high-paced style. That way of playing is actually what guided Swider to Indiana as opposed to another franchise — he believes he can fit in well in the up-tempo style. "It's been great... Just learning how to play with each one of these guys, it's going to keep on being a learning experience, but it's been a good one."

Swider's high-level pitch to teams is that he's an elite shooter. From beyond the arc, he's lethal, and he is working on being a better shooter when moving. He plays a low-turnover style and keeps the ball moving while finishing well around the basket.

Cole Swider catch and shoot 3s: pic.twitter.com/d86gOPwaFS

— Tony East (@TonyREast) August 17, 2024

Head coach Rick Carlisle sees it the same way. "Cole's a third-year guy who's established himself as a specialist," he said earlier this week. "[He's] been a great addition. He's a guy competing for the 15th [roster] spot. This is an opportunity." Carlisle has already seen the 25-year old fitting in during training camp.

Prior to joining the Pacers, Swider had a few relationships with members of the team. Through his agency, he knows Jarace Walker and Kendall Brown somewhat, and he has been playing against Andrew Nembhard for years — since they were juniors in high school. He met more of his teammates throughout the summer and in the players-only minicamp held in Orlando. He's starting to fit in well and has done work with assistant coach Jim Boylen as well as center Myles Turner after practices.

Swider, a Syracuse product, likes that he joined an established program. His entire career has been with teams in similar spots, and he's found a way to fit in before. This isn't much different. It's just like his past camp experiences battling for roster spots.

"[Guys were saying] they have a solid core foundation. Rick's been the head coach for a while<," Swider said of the Pacers. "He's had these guys for three years to kind of build this and mold this. It's been a great experience to be a part of."

The Rhode Island native thinks his overall shooting ability will help him fit in with the team. In his view, he can replicate some of the things that Doug McDermott did for the Pacers last year as a movement shooter, though he will hope to be more accurate when letting it fly from deep. He hopes to be scrappy on the defensive end, too.

The outlook for Swider is fairly clear given his contract status. As Carlisle alluded to, he's in the battle for the 15th roster spot. He and Kendall Brown are the obvious candidates for that slot, though in theory two-way contract players could sneak into the mix. The head coach noted that a few factors will influence who gets the final roster spot (if anybody), including general performance, compete level, how players manage game situations, and more. Someone will have to earn the final opportunity on the roster.

It could be Swider, who adds a shooting element hard to find at the back end of the team's bench. He, and the rest of the players competing for roster spots, have been going hard in camp so far.

"I've been in this position every single year of my career. So this isn't anything new," Swider said of his battle to make the team. "Just want to continue to improve and try to earn my spot here."

For his career, Swider has averaged 2.0 points per game. He has 25 appearances under his belt, He's now angling to join his third team and knows exactly what it will take to be a part of the squad come opening night, and he will try to prove it across the rest of training camp and preseason play.

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• Early training camp is more about refreshers, less about the new for Indiana Pacers. CLICK HERE.
• Pacers GM Chad Buchanan on Myles Turner's future: 'We want him to be here'. CLICK HERE.
• Indiana Pacers believe that continuity is the right path for improvement after a conference finals run. CLICK HERE.
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