Indiana Pacers sign Oscar Tshiebwe and Isaiah Wong to two-way contracts

Both rookies will split time between the NBA and the G League

On Monday, the Indiana Pacers announced that they have signed rookies Oscar Tshiebwe and Isaiah Wong to two-way contracts. AllPacers reported that Tshiebwe would sign such a deal late last month.

Two-way deals are contracts that allow players to split time between the Pacers and their G League affiliate team, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants. Wong and Tshiebwe were both productive college players last season, so allowing them to explore their games in the G League and develop in the NBA is a perfect spot for them.

Tshiebwe went underdrafted in the NBA Draft, but Indiana scooped him up as a free agent soon after. Wong, meanwhile, was the Pacers final pick in the draft at pick 55. He watched the draft with his family in New Jersey, where he is from. Pacers GM Chad Buchanan discussed his fit with the franchise last week.

In his final season at Kentucky, Tshiebwe averaged 16.5 points and 13.7 rebounds per game. Wong, meanwhile, averaged 16.2 points and 3.2 assists per game for Miami and helped the team go to the Final Four.

Both players are on Indiana's Summer League roster, so they are in Indianapolis for practice this week. "I'm appreciative of the Indiana Pacers drafting me," Wong said Monday. "I'm just enjoying every day."

He felt as if his workout with the blue and gold went well, and he connected with the coaching staff. Now, he's on the team and running the team's second unit in Summer League practices.

"I [feel] like I'm gelling with all the players... it's just a great place to be at," Wong said.

Both players will be worth watching in the G League this season as they develop. Indiana has promoted multiple players on two-way contracts to standard deals in the past. The team has used two of its three two-way slots for this season, meaning they have one more to potentially use. Kendall Brown, who the team drafted in the second round last year, could be a candidate for that contract.

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