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. They Pacers formally announced Walker and Sheppard’s assignment to the Indiana Mad Ants on Wednesday.
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.
The move gives Sheppard and Walker an opportunity to play in Wednesday’s 12:30 p.m. Mad Ants home game against the Motor City Cruise.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star