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Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle details position change for Jarace Walker

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Indiana Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle details position change for Jarace Walker


Indiana Pacers forward Jarace Walker is working on shifting his position from the four to the three.

In a more positionless NBA, players with certain skill and size requirements can play at effectively any spot on the floor. Walker is no exception. He has played several positions during his basketball career, including both point guard and center while in high school, but he is naturally thought of as a power forward.

His size at six-foot-eight-inches intuitively makes him a four man, especially at 240 pounds. Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan likened Walker to a linebacker last offseason after the team selected him in the lottery during the 2023 NBA Draft.

Going forward, Walker is shifting his responsibilities from the power forward spot to small forward. That change is something that became noticeable earlier in this offseason — the young wing started games at the three for the Pacers during summer league, and his slight change in position was alluded to throughout the summer at various times.

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Indiana’s head coach, Rick Carlisle, discussed that shift earlier this week during an interview on 107.5 The Fan. Carlisle, asked about Walker on The Wake Up Call, dove into Walker’s reality.

“We’re in the process of a position change there. He needs to keep that momentum going,” Carlisle said of Walker. “I’m not going to get into exactly where he may or may not be projected in the lineup. But he’s got a real chance to play if he can continue that momentum.”

Carlisle noted that Walker started to earn that momentum by getting in shape earlier in the offseason. That allowed him to, in Carlisle’s eyes, show some physicality, defense, and rebounding during summer league — key skills for Walker’s growth with Indiana going forward. He did it all at the small forward spot this offseason.

The head coach added that the coming week in Orlando — where the Pacers are holding a players-only minicamp — is big for Walker.

Having the young forward learn skills that will make him a more effective small forward is smart by the Pacers. Not only does it give Walker positional versatility — he can slide back to the four in the future if need be — but it also gives him a more direct route to playing time. Between Obi Toppin, Pascal Siakam, and small-ball lineups with Aaron Nesmith, there just isn’t much opportunity for minutes at power forward with Indiana’s current roster construction. At the three — where the current mix of players is Nesmith, Ben Sheppard, Bennedict Mathurin, and Johnny Furphy — Walker has a better chance to earn more immediate playing time.

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Last season, the Houston product averaged 3.6 points and 1.9 rebounds per game across 33 outings. With Bruce Brown, Buddy Hield, Doug McDermott, Jordan Nwora, and various other Pacers players from last season out of the picture, more opportunities should be coming Walker’s way in the coming campaign. Even if he doesn’t earn them right away and is out of the rotation, he should be able to hit the hardwood in the cases of injury to just about any rotation player.

Indiana kicks off preseason play in just a few weeks. The 2024-25 season begins in just over a month.



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Indiana

New Orleans takes on Indiana, seeks to end 4-game slide

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New Orleans takes on Indiana, seeks to end 4-game slide


Associated Press

New Orleans Pelicans (4-13, 15th in the Western Conference) vs. Indiana Pacers (7-10, ninth in the Eastern Conference)

Indianapolis; Monday, 7 p.m. EST

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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Pacers -5.5; over/under is 228

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans heads into the matchup against Indiana as losers of four straight games.

The Pacers are 5-2 in home games. Indiana ranks fifth in the league with 17.0 fast break points per game led by Bennedict Mathurin averaging 4.5.

The Pelicans have gone 1-7 away from home. New Orleans averages 14.2 turnovers per game and is 3-4 when turning the ball over less than opponents.

The Pacers are shooting 48.7% from the field this season, 0.2 percentage points higher than the 48.5% the Pelicans allow to opponents. The Pacers average 103.8 points per game, 14.3 fewer points than the 118.1 the Pacers allow to opponents.

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TOP PERFORMERS: Pascal Siakam is averaging 20.9 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.8 assists for the Pacers.

Brandon Ingram is scoring 22.9 points per game and averaging 5.8 rebounds for the Pelicans.

LAST 10 GAMES: Pacers: 4-6, averaging 111.7 points, 38.9 rebounds, 26.1 assists, 9.0 steals and 5.0 blocks per game while shooting 47.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 115.5 points per game.

Pelicans: 1-9, averaging 100.2 points, 42.7 rebounds, 23.0 assists, 7.8 steals and 4.5 blocks per game while shooting 42.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.7 points.

INJURIES: Pacers: Aaron Nesmith: out (ankle), Andrew Nembhard: out (knee), Isaiah Jackson: out for season (calf), James Wiseman: out for season (calf), Ben Sheppard: out (oblique).

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Pelicans: Zion Williamson: out (hamstring), Yves Missi: day to day (shoulder), CJ McCollum: day to day (thigh), Herbert Jones: out (shoulder ), Dejounte Murray: day to day (hand), Jose Alvarado: out (hamstring).

___

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.




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Wizards Drop 11th Straight in Loss vs. Pacers

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Wizards Drop 11th Straight in Loss vs. Pacers


The Washington Wizards are still in the loss column after falling to the Indiana Pacers 115-103 inside Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Sunday evening.

The Wizards remained competitive throughout the game, especially after the first half when they led by two points going into halftime.

However, the Pacers pulled ahead in the second half and were able to cruise to a double-digit victory.

The Pacers had seven players scoring in double figures, including a team-high 22 points from Pascal Siakam. Myles Turner had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

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The Wizards were sorely missing their leading scorer in Jordan Poole, who was ruled out prior to the game with a hip injury. That put Kyshawn George into the starting lineup, where he scored 15 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.

All five starters scored in double figures with Bilal Coulibaly and Alex Sarr scoring 17 points apiece for the team-high.

With 11 consecutive losses, the Wizards remain at the bottom of the NBA standings, but there are some positives that the team will walk away with.

The Wizards will look to snap their losing streak back at home on Tuesday against the Chicago Bulls.

Make sure you bookmark Washington Wizards on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more!

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Weirdo Sports Columnist Gregg Doyel Gets Worked Up Over Ohio State Dominating Indiana, Gets Eviscerated On X

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Weirdo Sports Columnist Gregg Doyel Gets Worked Up Over Ohio State Dominating Indiana, Gets Eviscerated On X


It’s a day that ends in the letter ‘y,’ so Indy Star sports columnist Gregg Doyel is acting strange online. Thankfully, this scenario has nothing to do with him acting creepy towards WNBA star Caitlin Clark, but instead, centers around the Ohio State Buckeyes blowing out the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday.

For anyone who may have forgotten, Doyel stole the show during Clark’s introductory press conference with the Indiana Fever by making the scene all about himself in one of the strangest moves ever seen in a media setting.

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Doyel introduced himself to Clark by saying “Real quick, let me do this,” before reportedly forming a heart with his hands, a gesture Clark does towards her family after games.

Clark replied by very awkwardly asking “You like that?” before things got even weirder.

“I like that you’re here. I like that you’re here,” Doyel responded. “Yeah, I do that at my family after every game, so it’s very cool,” Clark replied. 

“Okay, start doing it to me, and we’ll get along just fine,” Doyel replied back.

Long story short, Doyel later apologized for his creepy actions but was ultimately suspended by the Indy Star for two weeks.

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Naturally, each time he shares his opinion on social media nowadays, he gets chirped into oblivion and Saturday was no exception.

Doyel took serious offense to Ohio State scoring a touchdown with 35 seconds left in regulation to ultimately cap off its win over Indiana 38-15. He specifically didn’t appreciate Ohio State quarterback Will Howard celebrating the nail-in-the-coffin touchdown by putting out a fake cigarette to mock Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti.

Doyel taking offense to a 23-year-old college quarterback celebrating a monumental win over an undefeated Indiana team is odd behavior, and folks in his mentions were sure to point out that fact.

Ohio State virtually guaranteed a spot in the College Football Playoff with the win over Indiana, and the Hoosiers should be safe as well, barring a colossal loss to Purdue to close out the regular season.





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