How the Pacers are pushing "thru" at Summer League (Patreon)

And what it means for Jarace Walker 

By: Caitlin Cooper I @C2_Cooper

When Summer League started, the intention was to recap every game with both a play and player of the game. Following the exhibition opener against Brooklyn, the focus was on Jarace Walker, taking a look at how he was approaching switches out of a familiar action while also evaluating his finishing footwork and where he was still exhibiting some lapses on defense. Likewise, after the loss to Minnesota, Johnny Furphy got the spotlight, highlighting his hops within a half-court lob set and showing how, despite being undersized and (at times) overpowered under the basket, he's surprised with his ability to admirably hold his head above water in certain instances when targeted. Then, in what was the Summer League squad's first win, Enrique Freeman's non-stop energy got the nod, drawing attention to how he plays big by doing the little things.

This time, with the Pacers looking every bit like a team that was wrapping up their final game of exhibition play before (yes, for some reason) playing a consolation game on Saturday, the intention here is to zoom in on a specific play for the purpose of zooming out. Over this past year, the Pacers have run a play they call "thru," which they've also kept in circulation at Summer League. Except, now, there's been a few changes.

To understand how the play has evolved and why those changes matter -- as far as what it reflects about the Summer League roster as a whole and, more specifically, Jarace Walker's ongoing development, here are the relevant timestamps. Enjoy!

0:00 - Introductions

1:08 - Jarace defending with his feet (in spurts at least) instead of his hands + a glimpse of him in small-ball lineups guarding at the five

4:11 - Establishing a timeline for how the Pacers have pushed "thru"

5:25 - Inside the set!

7:17 - Asking more of Jarace as a creator and in the post

8:55 - Now, look at how the Actual Pacers run the play

9:42 - Replacing the step-up screen with a blur (ghost) screen

10:25 - The same was also the case in preseason a year ago

11:33 - Jarace's change in responsibilities, even when Sheppard and Hield were ball-handlers

13:08 - The set changed to evaluate Jarace and accommodate the roster

13:52 - Thank you and Goodbye!