A former Detroit Pistons center is back in the Central Division for the time being.

Jahlil Okafor reportedly signed a deal with the Indiana Pacers on Saturday. The veteran big man will get an opportunity to crack a roster and re-insert himself into the league that hasn’t seen him in action in quite some time.

The 2020-2021 NBA season was the last time Okafor showed face beyond the G League. At the time, the veteran center was suiting up for the Pistons. He spent 27 games on the court, averaging 13 minutes of playing time.

Okafor accounted for five points and two rebounds per game. He made 62 percent of his shots from the field during his short stint with the Pistons. Eventually, the Pistons moved Okafor to the Brooklyn Nets. He was a part of Brooklyn’s roster for less than a week before he was waived. While Okafor was expected to get another shot with the Atlanta Hawks, he was waived before the 2021-2022 season.

Since his Pistons stint, Okafor played in China, Mexico City, Spain, and Puerto Rico.

Earlier this week, Okafor’s G League rights were dealt to the Indiana Pacers’ affiliate. While all signs were pointing to Okafor possibly suiting up for the Indiana Mad Ants, it turned out the Pacers were willing to give him a shot.

According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Pacers officials “came away impressed” with Okafor’s health and conditioning after seeing him in private workouts. While the 28-year-old veteran hasn’t been competing at the NBA level recently, he’s stayed in shape since he was last seen on the Pistons.

A spot on the Pacers’ roster won’t be guaranteed for Okafor, but he’ll earn another shot.

Back in 2015, Okafor was a notable name coming out of Duke. He was the Philadelphia 76ers’ third-overall selection that year. After three seasons with the Sixers, Okafor was moved to the Brooklyn Nets. In 2018, he ended up on the New Orleans Pelicans before landing in Detroit.

Most NBA teams begin training camp ahead of the 2024 NBA season next week, and while this time of year isn’t usually one that features transactions, movement can happen just before media day. Last year, the Milwaukee Bucks agreed to acquire Damian Lillard in late September. This year, the New York Knicks are reportedly close to dealing for Karl-Anthony Towns.

If the time is right for a transaction, then the time is right. In that spirit, Bleacher Report suggested a few trades involving the Indiana Pacers recently. They deserve a closer look.

Indiana Pacers receive: Wendell Carter Jr., Orlando Magic receive: Dorian Finney-Smith and Isaiah Jackson, Brooklyn Nets receive: Jarace Walker, Caleb Houstan

For this trade, which was created by author Eric Pincus, the Nets need to send something to Indiana for it to be legal. But the general framework is the important part here.

The gist, Pincus writes, is that the Pacers would get an effective and cost-controller backup center behind Myles Turner in Carter Jr. The current Orlando big man has two more years left on his contract at a more than fair value, and the blue and gold have some questions to answer at the center position thanks to Jackson and Turner having expiring contracts.

Thus, the theory could be that Carter Jr. would be a backup in the coming season and then possibly a starter in the following year. The problem is that the Pacers front office already shared that they hope to keep Turner, and giving up Walker after just one season for a reserve doesn’t make much sense.

Walker was the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. While there hasn’t been much time for him to play for the blue and gold yet, his potential and size at an important position make him a player worth investing in. That player archetype isn’t one that should be passed on for a backup big man.

While the theory of the Pacers acquiring Carter Jr. to get stability at the center spot going forward makes sense, doing so at the cost of Walker and Jackson (another young player who will be the backup this year) isn’t worth it for the blue and gold.

The Indiana Pacers should keep Myles Turner, Bennedict Mathurin, and Andrew Nembhard

A piece written by author Greg Swartz opines what every team in the league, including the Pacers, should do with their best trade assets. For Indiana, said assets are listed as Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and Myles Turner.

Swartz believes that the Pacers should hold on to Nembhard since he is on a contract that will age nicely. The young guard signed a three-year, $58.7 million extension this summer, and including the upcoming season, he is now playing on (effectively) a four-year, $60.7 million deal. That’s a steal for a starter who can impact the game on both ends, and the tax-conscious Pacers would be smart to keep him.

Mathurin could be a valuable trade chip, but if he grows into the player that his peaks suggest he could be, he would be immensely valuable. The young guard is a terrific scorer heading into his third season, and he had many important realizations about what the next steps are for his career last season. Indiana shouldn’t give up on him early, and Swartz says the Pacers should listen to trade calls for the young guard yet have no reason to move him.

Turner is in a contract year, which could force the Pacers to at least think about his future. Swartz says the Pacers should hear offers if contract talks hit a gap. But the front office already expressed their desire to keep Turner, and he’s a perfect fit next to Indiana’s current stars in Pascal Siakam and Tyrese Haliburton. iIndiana should look to keep him.

All three players would be valuable in any deals, and for the right price any player could be moved. But without more information about the team’s direction and the quality of their young talent, Indiana shouldn’t make any trades involving these three.

The article from Pincus can be found here, and Swartz’s piece is here.

BLOOMINGTON — Entering week five, the biggest knock against Indiana football was its lack of a real test.

The Hoosiers steamrolled through their first four weeks of the 2024 season. But that group included just one Power Four opponent — UCLA, which was expected to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten — and one of the worst FCS teams in the country in Western Illinois. IU looked excellent in those games, and set itself up well for the rest of the year. But those teams rarely, if ever, forced Indiana to face difficult moments. And the schedule was always going to get tougher, particularly in the second half of the season.

Indiana was tested on Saturday for the first time this season, by both wet and windy conditions and a tough Maryland team. And it wasn’t completely smooth. The Hoosiers faced real adversity, something entirely foreign to them before this game. But they cleared those obstacles and passed this test, rather convincingly. Their 42-28 win at Memorial Stadium gave IU (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) its best start since 1967.

“There were a lot of good responses in that game. The defense responded to offensive turnovers. The offense responded to touchdowns given up by the defense. We responded more than they did,” IU head coach Curt Cignetti said after the game. “There was really a lot that went on in that game. There’s no doubt about it. Winning is good because it deepens belief in confidence and success, which leads to confidence and belief, which leads to success. You’ve still got to put the work in, but strengthens that confidence and belief.”

Maryland (3-2, 0-2) presented Indiana with plenty of challenges. Billy Edwards Jr. is the best quarterback Indiana’s faced so far this season. Wide receiver Tai Felton led the Big Ten in receiving entering Saturday by over 300 yards. UMD’s defensive line is the biggest and deepest IU has seen so far.

The Terrapins aren’t the best team on the Hoosiers’ schedule this season, but they came into the season expecting to contend for a fourth straight bowl game. This was Indiana’s first opportunity to truly prove itself and show that the undefeated start isn’t because of a soft schedule, but because this is just a good football team. And IU did exactly that. The offense played with physicality and explosiveness that Maryland couldn’t match. The defense made things difficult for Edwards, kept Felton quiet before he left the game with an injury in the third quarter, and mostly shut down Maryland’s run game.

“Coach (Bryant) Haines talks about it: we haven’t really been tested as much as we’d like so far,” linebacker Aiden Fisher said. “We kind of prepare that we’re going into war each week, and we got that today.”

Matchup aside, the Hoosiers had to overcome adversity in this game. As well as they’d played through the first four weeks, they had not yet needed to show their mettle. But that changed quickly Saturday, when quarterback Kurtis Rourke threw interceptions — Indiana’s first turnovers of the season — on IU’s first two possessions of the game.

Rourke said he was still able to grip the ball well despite the bad weather. The giveaways were simply uncharacteristic mistakes for the Ohio transfer and his offense. But he didn’t dwell too long on those plays and moved on quickly. Indiana’s defense pitched three-and-outs after both turnovers, and after Maryland’s second punt, Rourke led the offense on a 12-play, 83-yard touchdown drive.

“He responded like I kind of felt like he would. I didn’t think he’d be flustered by the two interceptions, and he wasn’t,” Cignetti said. “He’s a grizzly old vet.”

Indiana committed two more turnovers after the early interceptions, on fumbles by running back Kaelon Black (second quarter) and Rourke (fourth quarter). IU’s defense stepped up in those situations — Maryland didn’t pick up a single first down on its four possessions after turnovers.

The Hoosiers defense played well, on the whole. But they, too, weren’t perfect. Maryland racked up 401 yards of total offense on Saturday — none of IU’s first four opponents topped 260. And Indiana made a few crucial mistakes that could’ve changed the game.

During the second quarter, the Terps faced second and 31 at their own 41-yard-line after three straight penalties and an Indiana tackle for loss. But a clear pass interference on cornerback Jamier Johnson squandered Indiana’s strong positioning and brought Maryland back to first and 10. Two plays later, UMD receiver Kaden Prather blew past IU cornerback D’Angelo Ponds for a 33-yard touchdown that tied the game, 7-7.

Later, during the third quarter, the Terps took over at their 25-yard-line after IU regained a 21-14 lead on a Justice Ellison touchdown run. But their possession didn’t last long. On the first play, Terps running back Roman Hemby took a handoff through a big hole in the Indiana defense and ran, untouched, 75 yards for a touchdown.

Moments like that can swing momentum in games. But IU’s defense regrouped quickly after those mistakes: the next Maryland drives after both touchdowns ended in three-and-outs.

This is how good football teams perform. Perfection is an impossible standard; these players are human, and mistakes happen. Bad teams allow errors to compound and turn into bigger problems. Good teams correct their problems and quickly move on from them.

Plenty of teams have the talent to win, but lack the mentality and attention to detail that winning requires. And plenty of teams do those little things correctly and approach games the right way, but are overpowered and overmatched against superior opponents.

Indiana’s performance against Maryland, with the way it responded to adversity time after time, adds to a growing case that this team has both the talent and mettle to turn this 5-0 start into a special season.

“Everyone kept their heads up on the sideline, people still communicating, no one put their heads down. We responded,” defensive end Mikail Kamara said. “We had turnovers, we had the one-play touchdown and things like that, where that’s usually when losing teams would probably get down on themselves, start arguing, and that’s when the gap opens up. But we handled it really well.”

For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE. 

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