by Dustin Dopirak
INDIANAPOLIS — Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said last week that the Pacers would look to get rookies Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard some G League work at some point. It happened Wednesday, as the Pacers assigned Walker and Sheppard to the Mad Ants where they played a game against the Motor City Cruise and were then re-called to the Pacers for Wednesday night’s 7:30 p.m. game against the Raptors.
Walker scored 30 points on 12 of 23 shooting and Sheppard scored 12 points on 5 of 11 shooting, playing only the first half in a 117-107 win over the Cruise.
Both games, conveniently, were played in Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The Mad Ants are playing all of their home games there this season as they await construction a new home arena in Noblesville, where their new full-time home will be.
Walker and Sheppard said they were told before Tuesday’s game against the Hawks to be ready because they would be assigned to the Mad Ants for the Wednesday afternoon game. Both said they embraced the opportunity because they haven’t seen much action.
“I was happy,” Walker said. “Hooping is hooping to me at the end of the day, no matter if it’s NBA, G-League, JUCO, I just love basketball. Just being out there, even with an awesome group of guys that I got to get closer with today, I had a a good time today.”
Said Sheppard: “It was cool to get extended minutes. … I looked at it as an opportunity and it was fun. I had a great time.”
The Pacers took Walker No. 8 overall and Sheppard No. 26 overall in the 2023 NBA Draft, but depth has been a strength for this team, competition in the preseason was stiff and neither player won a spot in the Pacers’ rotation coming out of camp. Walker has appeared in four of the Pacers’ 13 games and played 41 total minutes, scoring 17 points on 38.9% shooting. Sheppard has appeared in five games, played 53 minutes and scored 25 points.
Originally posted on usatoday.com