Pacers Rookie Class Earns Disappointing Grade Through First Months

Indiana's two draft picks have had middling starts to their NBA careers.

Dec 8, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Charlotte Hornets guard Isaiah Wong (21) fouls Indiana Pacers forward Johnny Furphy (12) on a shot attempt during the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images / Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

The Indiana Pacers' two 2024 NBA Draft selections have had middling starts to their NBA careers. Neither shooting guard Johnny Furphy nor power forward Enrique Freeman has made much of a dent for the Pacers. After a lackluster season start, Indiana is riding high off a five-game win streak. At 15-15, the team currently occupies the Eastern Conference's No. 8 seed, though it is tied by record with the No. 7-seeded Atlanta Hawks.

Intrigued with Furphy's upside, Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report awards the Pacers' rookie class a mediocre C+ grade through their first two months of NBA action.

"No. 35 pick Johnny Furphy has played the vast majority of his minutes over the last month, and his 39.3 percent shooting from long range stands out as the main positive in his profile," Hughes writes. "That's a surprising development for a 6'8" Aussie wing who came out of Kansas billed not as a shooter but as a slick passer and switchable defender."

"The samples are tiny enough to be skewed by single games, and Furphy's three-point accuracy wouldn't look nearly as good if he hadn't hit four of his eight deep attempts against the Nets on Dec. 4. He's 7-of-20 from distance outside of that game," Hughes admits. "Still, getting anything interesting from a second-rounder is a win."

In 18 games for the Pacers so far this season, the former Jayhawk is averaging 3.2 points on .417/.393/1.000 shooting splits, and 1.4 rebounds a night. During the win streak, Furphy has logged double digit minutes across three of the five games.

"Enrique Freeman, picked 50th, had actually played more than Furphy over the season's first month," Hughes writes. "He's now getting looks mostly in garbage time and, at 24, doesn't exactly come with upside."

As Hughes notes, the 6-foot-7 Freeman is an old rookie at 24. Although it's not fair to say that he doesn't at least have some upside. A rookie season is a learning curve for pretty much anyone short of a 30-year-old vet of another league, and there's still presumably plenty of room for him to grow, even if his ceiling is as an eighth man role player. He hasn't cracked the club's rotation as of yet. Across 16 healthy games for Indiana this season, he's averaging just 1.5 points and 0.8 rebounds across a scant 7.1 minutes per.

More Pacers: Pacers G League Star Listed on All Winter Showcase Squad