Indiana
Tristen Newton struggles during summer league for Indiana Pacers, but should be able to be better in the future
LAS VEGAS — Tristen Newton had simple hopes for his first summer league: he wanted to leave an impression.
The rookie guard, who was drafted 49th overall by the Indiana Pacers in the 2024 NBA Draft, showed a little bit of everything during his college days. At UConn, where he won two national titles, he was a capable rebounder, strong passer, and effective scorer. At his best, he knocked down threes.
There was prevalent thinking that a player like him could be effective during summer league. And yet, despite his wide-ranging talent in college, it was actually totally different skills that popped for Newton during the tune-up games: his ability to draw fouls.
Newton took 28 free throws in Las Vegas, which topped the Pacers by far. Nobody else on the roster even reached 20. He was one of just two players to average more than 5.5 free throw attempts per game in under 22 minutes per night (Moses Brown of the LA Lakers was the other).
Indiana’s rookie point guard finished summer league with a free throw rate of 70%, far better than his collegiate figure of 46.9%. He made 89.3% of those foul shots, which kept his efficiency afloat.
Newton’s game stood out in that way. His second-best skill was his passing in traffic — he averaged 4.6 assists per game, good for second on the team, and quite a few of them came in tight spaces. As a point guard, that skill will be important.
“Tristen Newton, tremendous [growth] from game one to game five,” Pacers summer league head coach Jannero Pargo said. “Understanding our offense more, playing more confident. Being able to call plays and run our sets and be more comfortable out there.”
Unfortunately for Newton, some of his other skills from his NCAA days didn’t translate to the Vegas heat. In particular, his shot making was a disaster, and that held down his effectiveness.
The rookie guard shot 8/40 from the field across his five games, good for just 20%. He was 4/22 from long range (18.2%) and a not-much-better 4/18 (22.2%) on two-point looks. Shot distance and location didn’t matter — Newton struggled.
Taking 22 threes in five games in solid, and volume transfers more often from summer league than percentage. That’s the bright side for the young guard. But those field goals did not drop, and his ability to create good looks inside the arc didn’t pop.
Newton did grab 3.8 rebounds per game, a fine number for a guard, but he also had 2.8 turnovers per night. At times, he looked rushed and gave up the ball too quickly. He didn’t get all the way to the rim on his drives.
In those ways, Newton needed to be better. His defense was fine enough and he got his hands on a few steals, but the disappointing play finishing really hindered his effectiveness during summer league.
The Pacers liked that Newton was a more established player when they selected him in the draft. His play during summer league shouldn’t deter that thinking — if anything, the context around his summer outings should provide important perspective.
Newton played for a UConn team in 2022-23 that got up threes and had multiple players capable of setting the table for others. He performed well, and the team was great. In the following season, the Huskies dramatically changed their play style. There were fewer outside shots, and Newton’s playmaking burden grew.
He was extremely effective in both systems, which is why he was an All-Big East player and consensus All-American. He can adapt to any team when he gets time within a style and with a coaching staff.
In summer league, there is no time. Newton still hadn’t been drafted one month ago today. He went through a minicamp that was less than a week long, then was thrown into action. It didn’t always look great, though there were successes.
His free throw rate was extremely encouraging, but the shots didn’t fall. His rebounding was effective, yet the turnovers were concerning. Overall, the lack of shot making made the experience a negative.
But it is still reasonable to believe that Newton can be a capable do-it-all floor general when given time and space to figure out how his shots will come and what his teammates do well. He did it twice at UConn, and he can do it again in the NBA. He very quickly left an impression on his new teammates.
“Trsiten and Johnny [Furphy] are great guys,” Pacers rookie forward Enrique Freeman said. Newton didn’t get off to an awesome start, but he should have little trouble being more effective in future settings.
RIPLEY COUNTY, Ind. (WSBT) — A statewide Silver Alert has been issued for two young children in Indiana.
Police in Ripley County, southeast of Indianapolis, are looing for the children who may be siblings.
The first child is 3-year-old Aaliyah Buckingham.
She was last seen wearing a pink cat shirt and tie-dye shorts.
The younger child is 1-year-old Shane Buckingham, last seen in a red shirt and diaper.
Police think both are with 45-year-old Timothy Buckingham, who was last seen driving a brown GMC truck.
Timothy is described as a 6′ 3″ white man weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes.
Photo of Timothy Buckingham provided by Indiana State Police
Police have not confirmed the relationship of the three, or why the children are believed to be in danger.
Anyone who sees the three are asked to contact the nearest police department.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A firefighter for the Indianapolis Fire Department was sent to the hospital Wednesday after battling a fire at a vacant house.
According to a Facebook post made by IFD, the fire happened around 10:15 a.m. at a house on Bluff Rd. IFD says that there were several complications, including limited access to fire hydrants and “interior hoarder conditions” that IFD says was due to squatters.
The injured firefighter received “slight injury,” the Facebook post said.
It took over an hour and a half to get the fire under control, according to IFD, and another hour to put out all the remaining hot spots in the building.
According to IFD, the cause of the fire is currently unknown. Their Fire Investigations Unit is working on figuring out what caused the fire.
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