The Pacers have officially announced a series of signings, confirming in a press release that they’ve signed second-round pick Kendall Brown to a two-way contract. Additionally, forwards James Johnson and Bennie Boatwright and guards David Stockton and Gabe York have signed with the club.
Brown, a 6’8″ forward who was selected with the No. 48 overall pick in this year’s draft, was one of the only remaining unsigned players in the 2022 class, besides those who will spend the 2022/23 overseas. The 19-year-old spent his first and only college season at Baylor in 2021/22, averaging 9.7 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 1.9 APG on .584/.341/.689 shooting in 34 games (27.0 MPG) for the Bears.
The Pacers were the NBA’s only team that had yet to fill one of its two-way contract slots, so even after signing Brown, the club has another two-way opening available.
Of the four veteran free agents to sign with Indiana, Johnson is the most notable. The 35-year-old spent most of last season in Brooklyn, registering 5.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG in 62 appearances (19.2 MPG) for the Nets. A 13-year NBA veteran, Johnson has a somewhat limited offensive game, but is considered a versatile, athletic defender. He was waived by the Nets just days before the regular season ended and should have an opportunity to make the Pacers’ regular season roster.
Boatwright and York played for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants – the Pacers’ G League affiliate – last season and look like good candidates to return to Fort Wayne in 2022/23. Stockton played in the G League last season for the Memphis Hustle, but his rights were acquired by the Mad Ants last month, so he’s also a good bet to play in Fort Wayne this season.
The Pacers now have a full 20-man roster. Assuming Johnson, Boatwright, York, and Stockton didn’t receive guaranteed contracts, the team has 13 players on fully guaranteed salaries, six on non-guaranteed deals, and Brown on a two-way pact. We can probably expect more roster turnover in Indiana in the coming weeks, since the club has reportedly reached Exhibit 10 agreements with several other players.
Kendall Brown, Isaiah Jackson & Ben Mathurin… Pacers got some incredible athletes coming up thru the pipeline. If I’m them I def don’t trade Myles. He & Tyrese (along with Carlisle) should be the linchpins of the franchise while their young wings develop
Yeah I can’t believe Brown signed a 2 way. Could got that type money in the G League, overseas or Overtime. I wish we had him on the Cavs 15.
With you being a Hawks guy, how much better do you rate Jalen Johnson vs Kendall Brown? I don’t have the gap that big, Johnson I have as slightly better but also more likely to turn into just James Johnson.
I like Jalen a lot better & not just bc he plays for my team. I value versatility extremely high & he’s an extremely versatile basketball player. Jalen has a higher ceiling imo. Great question. I wanna get a lil more into this but there’s a great game on rn that has my attention
I could also see Jalen possibly turning into a James Johnson type guy but that’s not a bad worst case scenario at all. James Johnson been a really good player for a long time. That being said Jalen is much better at 20,21 than James Johnson was. KBrown vs JSochan is an even more intriguing comp to me. I think it’s very possible that Brown turns out as good or better than his former teammate
I like Jalen a little more also because he has a lot of point forward in his ceiling. I think as a shooter and 3 and D that Kendall could maybe have a higher floor though.
James Johnson wasn’t a diss but in a way was a diss. He has been a good defender just a guy that never lived to his potential. Honestly looks like he just doesn’t care that much and smokes to much. He has talent but doesn’t seem like the type guy that decided to add a new skill every summer.
The Wake Forest team that James Johnson played on was a personal favorite of mine. Al-Farouq Aminu is a local guy that was highly touted & he’s what drew me into the team. James Johnson was often the 4th best player on that team & was definitely 3rd fiddle behind Aminu & Jeff Teague overall. He was also pretty old for a college player. I wanna say he was a good 3+ yrs older than Aminu who starred as a freshman. That James Johnson made it to the league & outlasted not only Teague & Aminu, but pretty much everybody from their class is extremely impressive to me. And the main reason for his longevity is his versatility (along with his edge/toughness). I’d like to see Jalen take on some of James Johnsons qualities tbh. Not sure what potential you think he didn’t live up to lol I’d say he squeezed every bit of potential he was blessed with. Lol at smokes too much. Hopefully that was a joke… as far as Kendall Brown if he can become a James Posey level shooter he’ll be a huge help to Indy. I think his 3pt shot is gonna take awhile tbh. I see him more like a poor man’s Shawn Marion. Long, bouncy 3 that can guard big wings & finish above the rim.. Jalen has point forward type ability but he’s gonna be more of a scorer/rebounder a la John Collins for the Hawks. He prob coulda developed a lil more as a playmaker on a rebuilding team but we got our playmaker here already. Our need is at 4 behind John (truly wish he woulda got more pt when John was hurt last yr) now that Gallo is gone