Oscar Tshiebwe showed additional skill during summer league, but has same limitations for Indiana Pacers

LAS VEGAS — Oscar Tshiebwe went into summer league hoping to show more of anything on the hardwood. The big man has displayed time and time again that he’s an excellent rebounder, but he hoped to exhibit additional abilities during the summer sessions.

The Kentucky product was named to the All-G League First Team last year because of his productivity. He dominated the glass and could finish around the rim, which was a large source of success for the Indiana Mad Ants.

This summer was about additional skills. “Actually, his passing. The game has slowed down for him a lot,” Pacers head coach Jannero Pargo said of what looks better for Tshiebwe in his second season. “He’s able to catch the ball and be comfortable and not be rattled and rushed. And he’s making plays from the high post position.”

Tshiebwe showed those skills quickly. His high-low passing game with Jarace Walker was a quality connection in the first game as the second-year big man dished out four assists. He made plays in the high post, as expected by his coach.

Throughout the summer tune ups, that general range was shown. Tshiebwe hit a jumper in more than one outing and drove in for a finish from the perimeter in the final game. He did show more skills in general than during his rookie season.

“We’ve been working on those a lot.” Tshiebwe said of his high-low passing. “If you want to be great, you’ve got to learn how to make good passes. If you see someone helping, you’ve got to make good passes.”

The young big man has been working with assistant coach Jim Boylen on his passing and reads, and Tshiebwe shared that Boylen notices his improvement from year to year just by looking at the tape. During his rookie season summer league, Tshiebwe had four assists in total. He averaged 1.8 per game this season.

He also shot 61% from the field, a fine-enough number. His putbacks were effective — as they usually are — which is a consequence of his dominant rebounding skill. And that remained, which is vital to Tshiebwe’s success.

He had 19 rebounds in his opening performance against Brooklyn, and he was actually unhappy with his outing on the glass that day. He thought that he could have done better. As usual, when the matchup was right, the Kentucky product dominated the boards.

But the matchups didn’t always dictate that Tshiebwe could be on the floor or dominate the glass. He had 24 rebounds total after the first game — just six per outing. His subpar defense means that there are fewer rebounding opportunities when he’s out there, and the young center has fewer ball skills than Enrique Freeman. That meant Tshiebwe didn’t close games much, which limited his total numbers. He’s limited by his poor defense as well as his lack of handle and jump shot.

Still, in situations where the Congolese big man could live on the floor, he showed off new stuff. He hit the glass, made passes, and finished plays. In those ways, it was a successful summer league for the 24-year old.

But the same defensive and play-style limitations that hindered Tshiebwe last season remained, which put a damp on his effectiveness. It was important that he showed growth, and he did, but he still has more to develop to become an everyday big man in the NBA.

“I think he recognized what we’re trying to do defensively more so now than he did in the past,” Pargo said. He added that Tshiebwe is playing bigger and using his voice more effectively.

That added voice is a Boylen special, too. The assistant coach is helping Tshiebwe be louder and strong with the ball — he only had six turnovers in total in Las Vegas.

Add that to the list of things that Tshiebwe did that he is actively working on. Making plays from the elbows, expanding his range, and being more vocal have been focuses for Tshiebwe of late, and he turned his practice to action.

Yet his same limitations remained, and that is what makes his next steps so interesting. He is a restricted free agent and still in the mix for a two-way contract. Can Tshiebwe keep getting better and make it so there are fewer situations in which he is difficult to have on the hardwood? Or will he always be a speciality big man who dominates the glass?

That is the question the Pacers will have to answer. Tshiebwe switched his representation this summer to Octagon and is still not under contract. Perhaps he could be back with the Pacers, and he did have a good summer league in many ways. He got better at a few things he needed to improve. But he also has some key limitations and gaps in his effectiveness that make him a rocky fit, especially on a team that is deep in the frontcourt (Indiana already has Pascal Siakam, Myles Turner, Isaiah Jackson, Obi Toppin, Jarace Walker, James Wiseman, and James Johnson under contract for next season).

Oscar Tshiebwe is a better player than he was 12 months ago. He’s better than he was three months ago, for that matter, and those facts make him worth investing in. But he still has flaws that persisted in summer league and make his future unclear.