INDIANAPOLIS — As the Indiana Pacers were battling the Cleveland Cavaliers during preseason action last week, Bennedict Mathurin found himself in traffic in the lane. His attack was shut down. Thankfully, he had a safe passing option available that wasn’t typically there before. His teammate Isaiah Jackson, a bouncy center, popped open into space just above the free throw line.

It wasn’t much, but it was noticeable to see. Jackson usually does his damage right around the basket, and he will again in the coming season. Yet at that moment, after handling the pass from Mathurin, Jackson launched a jumper from the elbow and drilled it.

The NBA logged the shot as a 17-foot attempt. A few days later, when the Memphis Grizzlies were in Indianapolis for preseason action, Jackson knocked down a fadeaway jumper from the opposite elbow. It was registered as a 15-foot shot.

That means Jackson has already knocked down two attempts from 15 feet away or further this preseason. He only did that twice in the entire 2023-24 campaign. While it’s unlikely Jackson is asked to be much of a jump shooter, he has already shown a willingness to take, and make, shots from deeper distances.

“I’m trying to stretch the floor a little bit this year. This year I’ve been working on my jump shot with (assistant coach) Jenny [Boucek],” Jackson said. At the very first practice of training camp, Jackson could be seen getting up threes in a drill that involves shooting from five different spots beyond the arc.

Boucek has helped many players improve their jump shot. Andrew Nembhard worked with the assistant last year, and T.J. McConnell went from largely a non-shooter to a fine-enough finisher from deep. That McConnell path is what Jackson hopes to copy. Boucek has done this before.

“She taught me a lot this year. Just the confidence I have in my shot now, it feels way smoother than how it was in previous years,” Jackson said of his work with Boucek. “She helped me elevate it to where I can shoot the ball with confidence. I feel confident. It’s going to help the team, it’s going to help me… it’s going to expand my game a lot,” he added.

“She’s helped a lot of our guys [with shooting],” head coach Rick Carlisle said of Boucek and her ability to train jump shooting. He likes having one voice on the staff handle that role. “She has a lot of creative ways to get [players] to feel things about their shot. She’s a real positive teacher.”

A large part of Jackson’s development last season came as a result of efficiency improvements. His true shooting percentage reached nearly 70%, and he was lights out around the basket. He should continue to be someone who primarily attacks from the charge circle and in.

But adding range never hurts, especially in the scenario like the one described with Mathurin. Jackson bailed his teammate out of a tough situation and earned two points. It’s a nice potential addition to Jackson’s game if it translates to the regular season.

There’s more to the upcoming campaign than that for the young big man, though. He’s in year four of his career and currently eligible for a contract extension — and he will be a free agent next summer without a new deal by early next week. He needs a big season and wants his motor to be a weapon again.

“Trying to keep a high motor,” he said of what he hopes for himself this year. With his promotion to backup center after the departure of Jalen Smith, Jackson will play more often this year. If starter Myles Turner is injured, Jackson could play big minutes. He needs to be in great shape to be active and mobile all year long.

In the offseason, Jackson went to Dallas, Texas to visit with Turner and reserve center James Wiseman. They discussed the responsibilities of being a center on the Pacers roster and the things they’ll need to do to be successful this season. The group stressed accountability with each other. Jackson called it a “dope” experience.

It’s another moment that has him ready for a big year. It’s the first time he is undoubtedly the backup five, and he’s got money to play for. The Pacers need him to be good, too — he’s young and still growing, but the team is ready to win and compete every night.

“This is year four. I know it’s what I’m coming into this year, which is playing hard,” the Kentucky product said earlier during training camp.

Jackson was great in the postseason last year, which boosted his confidence. He knows he is a playoff player when the time comes, something young players need to prove. Without a jump shot, he was still effective thanks to his speed and athleticism on both ends, and he flipped in shot after shot in the lane, particularly against the New York Knicks.

He brought energy to those games on a big stage. And now, he’ll have the chance to do it with an improved jump shot. Jackson is moving into a bigger role for a team looking to contend — his growth and success this season will be important for the Pacers. He averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 2023-24.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Curt Cignetti is up for one of the nation’s top coaching awards following Indiana’s 6-0 start.

On Wednesday, Cignetti was one of 27 coaches named to the 2024 Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award watch list.

According to the news release, “the award, given each January to a college football coach, recognizes contributions that make the sport better for athletes and fans alike by demonstrating grit, integrity and a winning approach to coaching and life – both on and off the field.”

Cignetti could receive an annual bonus of $100,000 if he wins the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award, or any of the following National Coach of the Year honors: Associated Press, Sporting News, Walter Camp, Maxwell Football Club, or ABC/ESPN. There is a maximum of $100,000 for this category in any one season, according to the memorandum of understanding obtained by Hoosiers on SI through public records requests.

If Cignetti is awarded the Big Ten Coach of the Year Award by the coaches or media panel, he could receive an additional annual bonus of $50,000. There is a maximum of $50,000 for this category in any one season. For more details on Cignetti’s contract, click here.

The Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year Award is given annually by the American Heart Association, and honors the Hall of Fame coach who won six national championships at Alabama and died from a heart attack in 1983. The 39th winner will be announced on Jan. 22.

Here’s the full watch list.

Atlantic Coast Conference

Big Ten Conference

Big 12 Conference

Group of Five Conferences, Independent & Pac-12

Southeastern Conference

State leaders in Indiana have taken significant steps to divest from China and from the environmental, social, and governance agenda. 

“We have the good fortune in Indiana to have a Legislature that is on top of making sure that we divest from Chinese entities and from ESG-focused funds,” Indiana state Comptroller Elise Nieshalla says. 

The ESG agenda has benefited China through its promotion of solar and wind energy, and electric vehicle batteries, all which China mass produces. 

While some state asset managers are promoting investment in solar panels and EV batteries for electric vehicles in the name of “clean energy,” Nieshalla contends the methods China is using to produce those goods are far from clean. 

“I think we have seen a true hypocrisy,” she says, “because while … the whole ESG movement has been putting intense pressure on the United States toward renewable energy and to move away from reliable energy—i.e., coal, oil and gas—they are making significant investments in fossil fuels in China, India, Brazil, and [those nations] do not implement the clean energy technology that we do with fossil fuels.” 

The energy agenda moving away from coal, oil, and gas is not only benefiting China, but also harming the U.S. economy at a time when the U.S. is burdened with a national debt of more than $35 trillion. 

Nieshalla joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss the ways Indiana has successfully divested from China and the ESG agenda, and how other states can follow suit. 

Listen to the podcast below: