Indiana
The Challenges The Indiana Pacers Face In Keeping Jalen Smith
Middle Jalen Smith performed one of the best basketball of his profession for the Indiana Pacers this previous season, and that may really find yourself being an issue for the Pacers franchise.
Smith was acquired by Indiana in a deal on the commerce deadline again in February — the Pacers despatched away Torrey Craig after they obtained Smith and draft compensation from the Phoenix Suns in a financially-motivated transfer. The commerce was a win for everybody — the Pacers, the Suns, Craig, and Smith.
Smith was a winner as a result of he went to an Indiana staff that was way more targeted on growing younger gamers than his earlier squad in Phoenix. Throughout his first season-and-a-half with the Suns, there have been simply 18 occasions through which Smith performed greater than ten minutes in a recreation. With the Pacers in beneath two months, that occurred 22 occasions. The Pacers had extra alternatives for the younger huge, which was useful for his progress.
“I view this as a brand new starting,” Smith stated after being traded. “Taking the whole lot I discovered from Phoenix and simply attempting to carry it over right here and assist in one of the best ways I can.”
The College of Maryland product made the a lot of the improve in minutes. His numbers with the Pacers skyrocketed — he averaged 13.4 factors, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per recreation and shot effectively from each inside and outdoors the three-point arc. He stepped up his recreation in each approach with the blue and gold and confirmed why he was the tenth general decide within the 2020 draft.
These numbers contributed to profitable basketball, not less than to some extent. Indiana had a greater internet ranking with Smith on the ground (-1.9) than off (-3.9) this marketing campaign, and their staff offense numbers had been great when the younger frontcourt participant was within the recreation. Smith proved to be a invaluable participant in Indianapolis, which makes his upcoming free company interval fascinating.
Smith’s contract expired on the finish of the 2021-22 season, and given his age and his manufacturing with the Pacers, many groups, Indiana included, will need to signal him to a brand new deal. However for the Pacers, the staff that gave Smith the chance to point out what he can do, it gained’t be simple to retain the 21-year previous this summer time.
That’s due to one thing that occurred whereas Smith was nonetheless in Phoenix. The Suns drafted Smith tenth general within the first spherical of the 2020 NBA Draft, which meant the massive man put ink on a rookie scale contract that each one first spherical picks signal after they enter the affiliation.
A singular a part of rookie scale contracts is that they’ve staff choices on the ultimate two years of the settlement, and that staff possibility resolution happens a full season prematurely. That meant the Suns needed to decide in the event that they needed to choose up Smith’s third 12 months possibility after his rookie marketing campaign. However after an underwhelming first season for the younger huge, the Suns prioritized future financial savings and declined the $4.67 million third 12 months possibility.
In consequence, Smith can be an unrestricted free agent when July 1 rolls round, which means 29 groups can supply him any contract they need. However there’s a catch that impacts what contract the Pacers can prolong the massive man in free company.
If a participant has their third 12 months and/or fourth 12 months staff possibility declined on a rookie scale contract, then their incumbent staff can solely supply them as much as the sum of money they might have made on their rookie scale deal of their third/fourth season on a brand new contract. That is to stop groups from deliberately declining rookie scale choices as a way to give younger gamers an enormous elevate whereas they nonetheless have staff management as leverage.
On this case, regardless that the Pacers weren’t the staff that declined Smith’s staff possibility, they’re nonetheless his incumbent staff on the conclusion of his second season on his rookie scale deal. Meaning Indiana is proscribed in what they will supply Jalen Smith in free company this summer time — he can’t make greater than $4.67 million with the blue and gold in 2022-23 and may’t be paid greater than $5.95 million (the quantity his fourth-year possibility would have been price) from the franchise in 2023-24. Every other staff within the NBA can supply Smith no matter they need.
Thus, the Pacers are met with a problem. Probably the most they will supply Smith over the following two seasons is only a bit over $10.6 million, which is probably going beneath his market worth, and even providing him that a lot requires a string of 1 12 months offers. It will likely be tough for the group to retain his providers.
“It’s simply an enormous offseason,” Smith stated of his free company. “Scary offseason as effectively, as a result of as a younger participant, you don’t need to make the incorrect resolution.”
In principle, one of the best supply the Pacers might prolong to Smith would come with a participant possibility. So it will be a two-year deal price simply shy of $10 million, however the huge man might choose out of the deal after one 12 months and enter free company once more. At such a younger age, which may be interesting to the middle with an up-and-down profession to date.
Simply taking a look at Smith’s tenure with the Pacers would make it seem as if he was a lock to get way more than $4.76 million from a staff this offseason. His factors per recreation, rebounds per recreation, and three-point capturing proportion numbers with Indiana, in tandem, had been solely matched by three gamers over the course of the whole season — Karl-Anthony Cities, Bobby Portis, and Christian Wooden. The common wage of that trio is over $17 million subsequent season.
However when together with Smith’s manufacturing in Phoenix, which wasn’t practically as robust and featured inconsistent play, it appears extra believable that he is probably not price an excessive amount of greater than the greenback determine the Pacers can supply. As a former top-ten decide with tons of potential, Smith might nonetheless fetch a big deal, however his various affect for 2 completely different groups makes it removed from a lock.
Nonetheless, the Pacers have some steps they may take to maximise their probabilities of retaining the two-year professional this offseason. Considered one of them is providing Smith an opportunity to play and contribute this coming 12 months, as Smith famous that chance will play a job in his free company resolution making course of.
“It’s going to be essential,” he stated when requested how a lot he’ll contemplate match and alternative when choosing his everlasting house. From a match perspective, Smith confirmed that he and Indiana are an excellent match within the last 22 video games of 2021-22. However the alternative a part of that’s extra difficult.
Indiana has Isaiah Jackson, Myles Turner, and Goga Bitadze beneath contract on the middle place subsequent season. If all three return to the blue and gold, there probably gained’t be many frontcourt minutes obtainable in head coach Rick Carlisle’s rotation, which might not assist Smith develop in his profession. With out making strikes to clear up some taking part in time, Smith could select a unique staff as an alternative of the Pacers this offseason, even when the $4.67 million greenback determine does find yourself being sufficient cash to retain his abilities.
And if the Maryland product does return to the staff from the Circle Metropolis, then the Pacers could have the identical concerns subsequent offseason, however with a contract restrict of $5.95 million. There are various elements at play that work in opposition to Indiana, but when they’re prepared to make some strikes and promise some minutes, they’ve an outdoor shot to maintain Smith on the town.
“This offseason goes to return right down to loads of issues,” Smith stated of his free company. He famous that conversations together with his household and illustration can be essential in his resolution making. If the Indiana Pacers are going to be a consideration in that call, they should discover a method to persuade Smith to remain regardless of contract limitations. If they’re prepared to make some sacrifices, maybe they may preserve the younger huge man, however given how effectively he performed down the stretch of final season, he could have priced himself out of the franchise’s constraints already.
Indiana
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.
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.
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.
Indiana
10 Takeaways from Week 13: Seven ranked teams fall, as SEC upsets create more chaos
College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 13 delivered, with a Buckeye statement at the ‘Shoe, a massive upset in Norman and chaos from coast to coast.
Each Sunday, I’ll publish my biggest takeaways from the college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders and specifically shout out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.
Here are my top takeaways from Week 13:
1. The biggest winners from another wild Saturday are the ACC, Georgia, and Notre Dame.
Evaluating projected CFP after Week 13
Nicole Auerbach, Joshua Perry and Jordan Cornette discuss a chaotic Week 13 in college football, analyzing the projected College Football Playoff bracket after major upsets from Oklahoma and Auburn.
– The ACC now has a really good chance to get two teams into the 12-team bracket, now that Ole Miss and Alabama both picked up their third losses. SMU has been on the outside looking in in each of the projected brackets based on the real CFP rankings revealed thus far. The Mustangs should slide up and be in the field as an at-large team when the new rankings come out on Tuesday. My guess is that both Miami and SMU could be positioned high enough to stay in the mix as an at-large team if they lose in the ACC title game. In theory, the losers of the conference championship games aren’t supposed to be penalized for playing an extra game. We’ll see what the committee actually does, but this is the best-positioned the ACC has been to get two teams into the field in weeks.
– Georgia should be able to move up in the rankings now that the two teams it has lost to have three losses apiece. The selection committee had been honoring head-to-head results when evaluating comparable teams, which is why Georgia has been behind both Alabama and Ole Miss for the past two weeks. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulldogs move up to be in position to host a first-round game (or to be within striking distance of a seed high enough to do that).
– Notre Dame has been arguably the most dominant team in the nation over the past two months. The committee already forgives the Irish for their September loss to Northern Illinois and has the Irish ranked high enough to host a first-round game. With Indiana falling on Saturday and Penn State struggling to beat unranked Minnesota, you have to think that Notre Dame could move up. I’d put the Irish ahead of both myself.
HLs: Notre Dame blows out Army at Yankee Stadium
No. 6 Notre Dame scored early and often against No. 19 Army, rushing for 273 yards (on just 29 carries) and five touchdowns at Yankee Stadium as the Fighting Irish earned their ninth straight win.
2. Indiana could be squarely on the CFP bubble now.
I’ve seen a wide range of reactions to Ohio State’s 38-15 win over Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Columbus. I’ve seen folks suggest that the Hoosiers acquitted themselves well enough to keep a spot in the 12-team field by not getting blown off the field by the No. 2 team in the country — and that’s certainly possible, considering how highly the CFP selection committee thinks of the Buckeyes. I also think that a potential 11-1 team whose only loss is to the No. 2 team in the country should have a pretty good chance to earn one of seven at-large spots (just like Penn State was!). Especially considering that Ole Miss and Alabama should fall out of the field after picking up their third losses.
But the Hoosiers also struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball on Saturday outside of their opening drive. In their past three halves (dating back to the second half of the Michigan game), Indiana has tallied 169 total yards of offense combined. That’s not great! But it seems like every team in the country is flawed, and bubble teams will always have some blemishes on their resumes. And that’s where I think Indiana will be dinged a bit by the loss and the weak overall strength of schedule. Which is fine! I think the Hoosiers will be in the projected bracket when the rankings come out on Tuesday. But I’m not entirely sure where. Either way, Indiana’s definitely still in the mix, but the Hoosiers might have some restless nights between now and Dec. 8 because they no longer control their own path to the Playoff.
HLs: OSU rides strong second half to win vs. IU
In this highly-anticipated Big Ten matchup, Ohio State’s Will Howard passed for two touchdowns and ran for one more to lead the No. 2 Buckeyes to a 38-15 win over previously unbeaten Indiana in Week 13 at Ohio Stadium.
3. Ole Miss will not make the Playoff.
Lane Kiffin‘s team was supposed to be exactly the kind of program that would benefit from an expanded College Football Playoff. In the four-team CFP era, it would have basically required perfection for Ole Miss to get to the SEC title game and secure a Playoff berth. But now, 11-1 and 10-2 with a challenging SEC schedule would keep a team very squarely in the mix. And Ole Miss was comfortably in the projected bracket based on last week’s official CFP rankings, checking in at No. 9 in the rankings and the No. 10 seed in the field on the strength of the Rebels’ win over Georgia. But that signature win won’t be enough to make up for three losses to teams that are likely to all be unranked — to LSU and Florida (who are both barely above .500 on the season) and to Kentucky in the Wildcats’ only SEC win of the season. Despite all the chatter about the rigors of an SEC schedule, at some point you’ve also actually got to win the games. And Ole Miss has lost the games it couldn’t afford to do.
4. DJ Lagway should be one of the best quarterbacks in the country next year.
Lagway is the real deal. Every time I watch him play, I come away impressed with his arm strength, his poise and his athleticism. He’s even accurate when he’s getting hit or under pressure. I’m blown away by his toughness, and I can’t say I’m surprised that he led the Gators to a second win over a ranked opponent, this time over No. 9 Ole Miss. He’s 4-0 as a starter at the Swamp, which is actually a wild stat considering how hot Billy Napier‘s seat was after a 1-2 start. Now, the Gators have already committed to Napier running this program next fall and might finish a brutally challenging schedule with a 7-5 record. Part of the reason Florida kept Napier is because of Lagway, of course. He’s said he’s committed to his coach and happy about that decision. Never say never until the transfer portal closes, but there’s a lot to be excited about if you’re building a team around a quarterback as special as this one.
5. Cheers to Kansas and Florida, the ultimate season spoilers.
The Gators have knocked both LSU and Ole Miss out of the College Football Playoff picture in the past two weeks. And the Jayhawks became the first sub-.500 team to beat three consecutive ranked opponents with wins over Iowa State, BYU and now Colorado. At the time of each game, Kansas’ opponent controlled its own path to the Big 12 title game — and it most certainly did not when the clock hit zeroes. I always appreciate a good chaos agent, so I like these two teams coming out of nowhere to play their best football in time to ruin the season of everyone left on their schedules. That’s unlocking a new level of petty in a sport that thrives off of it. Bravo!
6. SMU looks like it is the best team in the ACC.
The Mustangs are certainly the league’s most complete team. And I’d argue they’re the team I trust most, as we sit here in late November. Miami’s got an electric quarterback and quick-strike offense, but it’s also got a leaky defense (that struggled for three quarters against a Wake Forest team that had only had two ACC wins coming into Saturday’s game at Miami). Meanwhile, SMU has speed and talent on both sides of the ball, and the Mustangs have now reeled off eight straight wins since their early-season, three-point loss to BYU. Quarterback Kevin Jennings has started all eight of those games, and though he’s had a couple of tough days — that five-turnover game at Duke was certainly memorable — he’s largely been quite good. Jennings throws a beautiful ball, and he’s got good chemistry with a bunch of different receivers. Couple that with Miami transfer Brashard Smith’s 1,000-plus yards as a rusher, and this is both a reliable and dangerous offense. It just feels right that this team has clinched a spot in the ACC championship game in its first year in the league.
7. More chaos in the Big 12 race sets up a potential title game between Arizona State … and Iowa State?
Another week and another round of upsets in Big 12 country! Every time we think we know something about the top of the standings, they get flipped on their head. Arizona State knocked off No. 14 BYU (and stormed the field … twice) while Kansas beat No. 16 Colorado behind Devin Neal‘s four touchdowns and nearly 300 all-purpose yards. Now, the Sun Devils have a very good chance to make it to the Big 12 title game — beat Arizona and they’re in — while Iowa State would win the tiebreaker over its fellow two-loss Big 12 brethren to meet Arizona State in said title game if the Cyclones win out, too. Colorado is still alive in the Big 12 race, but the Buffs would need significant help to get there. I can’t imagine that not playing in the Big 12 championship game will hurt Travis Hunter‘s Heisman chances too much, but it is worth noting that he wouldn’t be playing the final weekend before voting closes while other contenders will be.
8. Notre Dame is a team I really trust.
HLs: Love, Price total five touchdowns vs. Army
It was the running back tandem of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price that stole the show in No. 6 Notre Dame’s walloping of No. 19 Army in the Bronx, combining for 189 all-purpose yards and five (!) touchdowns.
The Fighting Irish have been among the nation’s most dominant teams over the past two-plus months, dating back to that brutal loss to Northern Illinois. I’ve spilled a lot of ink here arguing that Notre Dame now is a very different team from the one we saw on that fateful September day — but I no longer need to make that case, because the selection committee agrees with me already. Based on last week’s rankings, the Irish would be hosting a first-round game. But they could and should slide up after yet another dominant win, this time coming at Army’s expense. Over Notre Dame’s nine-game winning streak, the Irish have outscored opponents, 399-92. Over the course of the entire season, the Irish now have the best point differential in FBS (+301). Notre Dame has an elite defense and a great rushing attack. So many teams across college football have fluctuated week to week, leading to some of the crazy upsets we’ve seen this fall. But Notre Dame has been a consistent and reliable team that, since the NIU loss, hasn’t overlooked a single opponent. I trust the Irish.
9. Penn State should drop in the next set of CFP rankings.
Penn State has yet to earn a ‘marquee win’ in 2024
The Big Ten College Countdown crew breaks down Penn State’s narrow victory against Minnesota, questioning how good the Nittany Lions with the final College Football Playoff bracket fast approaching.
They probably won’t because of the teams ranked below them that lost, but the Nittany Lions aren’t exactly passing the eye test these days. They eked out a win over Minnesota to improve to 10-1, but that’s not exactly the kind of performance one would expect to see from the No. 4 team in the country against an unranked opponent, even on the road late in November. For the record, I don’t think Penn State is actually going to drop. But the selection committee says it starts from scratch each week, and if it truly starts from scratch it would perhaps make a bit more about the lack of a signature win on this resume and the fact that this team would be struggling mightily to move the ball without do-everything tight end Tyler Warren. It sure seems like the strongest part of Penn State’s resume is its loss to the No. 2 team in the country, and I’m just surprised that the committee continues to allow that — for both Penn State and Texas, who also has no marquee wins and is ranked third by the committee. I’d drop the Nittany Lions behind Notre Dame, personally.
10. Our long national nightmare is over: Nebraska is going bowling!
The last time the Huskers played in the postseason? Dec. 30, 2016. For proud Husker fans, it’s been a long and very painful eight years. Just last week, I said I believed Nebraska was cursed, having lost nine straight games with a chance to become bowl-eligible with eight of those losses coming in one-score games. So, to snap that skid, Nebraska decided it wouldn’t allow the game to be close — so no curses could come into play late. The Huskers took a 17-point lead into the fourth quarter and pulled away for a 44-25 win over Wisconsin. It’s the most points Nebraska has scored in a game since Matt Rhule took over the program. That in-season offensive coordinator change sure looks smart now, and I’m genuinely so happy for everyone associated with this team and its community.
Indiana
What Quarterback Kurtis Rourke Said After Indiana’s 38-15 Loss At Ohio State
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 5 Indiana lost its first game of the season Saturday at No. 2 Ohio State, 38-15.
The Hoosiers entered the game with the nation’s second-highest scoring offense, but they generated just 151 total yards and finished with a season-low 15 points. Ohio State sacked Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke five times, and he completed just 8-of-18 passes for 68 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions and one fumble.
Here’s everything Rourke said after the game.
On if it was the first time Indiana had used a silent count…
Rourke: “In game, yeah, but we practiced it all week. So it wasn’t anything that was new to us.”
On what Ohio State was doing to be so impactful when blitzing…
Rourke: “They brought some good blitzes and timed it up well. Just had some good plays called and executed better.”
On what it couldn’t repeat from a successful first drive for the rest of the game…
Rourke: “I think we just executed better, at a lot higher level that first drive. We were able to take advantage of looks in plays that we had, then we didn’t execute down the stretch after that as well as we want to. In games like this, you have to.”
On what made Ohio State’s blitzes successful…
Rourke: “It’s all stuff that we’ve seen before. I gotta do a better job of recognizing them and knowing where to go with the ball. As an offense, just be able to learn from a game like this and make sure it doesn’t happen.”
On the team’s mentality after a loss, knowing there’s still plenty to play for…
Rourke: “A loss is never fun, but the good news is that we’ve got another game next week, a big game, a rivalry game. So take 24 hours, then get ready for Purdue.”
On frustration over uncharacteristic mistakes…
Rourke: “You gotta be close to perfect to beat a team like this, and we’re gonna have a chance to play a lot of similar teams like this. So knowing that we can’t have these mistakes and we gotta be on our game for the whole game, it’s a learning opportunity. But gotta be able to move on now and not have any more learning opportunities.
On if any of the mistakes surprised him, given Indiana’s veteran roster…
Rourke: “I wouldn’t think so. I think it’s just attention to detail. I always look to myself, knowing that there’s some plays I want to have back, some throws that I need to have in order for this team to move the ball down the field. There’s a lot of opportunities that I’m upset at myself and knowing that it won’t happen again. Those are mistakes that can’t continue, especially at this time of the season.”
On if there are parts of the offense Indiana has to junk after they didn’t work…
Rourke: “I don’t think so. Just gotta trust that moving forward we’re gonna handle it. I whole heartedly trust the offensive line, tight ends and receiver group and running backs. So my mindset doesn’t change, that I don’t need to do anything differently because I’ve been sacked a couple times. Biggest thing is I gotta protect the ball when I’m getting hit. That’s something I need to work on. It’s happened a couple times this year.”
On the frustration of playing behind the sticks so much…
Rourke: “Yeah, it’s hard to win games when you have second and third and long. You gotta capitalize on those. So even going back to Michigan week, we gotta make sure we don’t put ourselves in those tough situations, because it’s hard to win games, like I said.”
On the difficulty of facing many third and long situations…
Rourke: “It’s tough, especially with a defense that’s as talented as they are. Like I mentioned, it’s difficult to convert on third and long, especially a good defense. But we had an opportunity to convert, and we weren’t able to. So that’s pointed at us as well. We’re gonna be in those situations, and we’re gonna need to be able to capitalize better than we did today.”
On if Indiana has done enough this season to show it’s one of the best teams in the country…
Rourke: “Yeah, I hope so. We trust ourselves against anybody, and we look forward to hopefully an opportunity to get a rematch at some point. But just knowing that next week is the big game and we gotta go handle Purdue, and then take it one game at a time.”
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