Shayne Whittington

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The Indiana Pacers announced Sunday they have assigned forward/center Shayne Whittington to their affiliate in the NBA’s Development League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Whittington, in his second year out of Western Michigan, has appeared in 34 games for the Mad Ants, averaging 12.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. The 6-11 center has also appeared in five games this season for the Pacers.

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Pacers Assign Whittington To Mad Ants

The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday they have recalled forward/center Shayne Whittington from their affiliate in the NBA’s Development League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

Whittington, in his second year out of Western Michigan, has appeared in 34 games for the Mad Ants, averaging 12.1 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 1.5 steals. The 6-11 center has also appeared in four games this season for the Pacers.

pacers-recall-whittington

Pacers Recall Whittington

The Indiana Pacers announced Wednesday they have assigned forward/center Shayne Whittington to their affiliate in the NBA's Development League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

pacers-assign-whittington-to-mad-ants

The Indiana Pacers announced Tuesday they have recalled center Shayne Whittington from their affiliate in the NBA’s Development League, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

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inddmassa

2015-pacers-rookie-free-agent-camp-roster

2015 Pacers Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster

The Indiana Pacers will attend the Lawrence Central at Carmel high school football game tomorrow, Friday, Oct. 17. Dubbed #TouchdownPacers, Pacers players along with Boomer, members of the Pacemates and Boom Babies, Pacers TV and radio broadcasters, and Pacers Sports & Entertainment employees will all be in attendance. 

The first 2,000 fans in attendance will get a one-of-a-kind Pacers rally towel in school’s colors. Each game will have two rally towels – one for each team playing. Plus, during timeouts and breaks in action, fans in the stands should look for the players, Pacemates and Boom Babies to pass out a variety of Pacers swag, including Pacers gold T-shirts and Pacers-branded mini footballs. Fans are encouraged to arrive early as the Pacers players will arrive prior to kickoff.

Carmel High School
Lawrence Central vs. Carmel
Players: Roy Hibbert, Ian Mahinmi, Chris Singleton and Shayne Whittington
Gates Open: 5:45pm
Kickoff Time: 7:05pm

Need Directions? Use the map below to find out how to get to Carmel.

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#TouchdownPacers: Lawrence Central vs. Carmel

indmmontieth

Shayne Whittington insists the calm demeanor, confident persona and flawless shooting touch were mere facades. He really was nervous about making his NBA debut, even if it was just the opening pre-season game.

“I was a mess before the game,” he said.

A mess? Hitting all five field goal attempts and your only foul shot was the result of nerves?

“My first NBA-type game,” he said. “Really nervous, but the guys really helped me out.”

Whittington, an undrafted free agent with a contract that is guaranteed only to January, looked like a veteran in his 20-minute debut, and sounded like one afterward. He wasn't surprised by his performance – “I'm just doing what they ask me to do,” he said – but he was suitably humble, too.

Starting the second half, he got his first look less than 90 seconds into it on a transition feed from George Hill. He promptly swished a 22-footer from the left corner. 

“That first shot was like 'Oooohhhh,'” he said. “It was a little farther than I wanted it to be. I had to put a little extra on it.”

You can read more on Whittington's background here, but the short story is that he broke his left fibula on May 8 during a pre-draft workout. Figured early on as a mid-second round pick, he went undrafted, as players with broken legs tend to do. He was expected to be out for about six months, but here he is, ahead of schedule.

“I shouldn't be playing, technically,” he said.

He estimates that he's about 30 percent short of complete strength in his leg. He's come a long way since joining the off-season workouts following the July 4 holiday, but is “still nowhere close to where I was.”

He was reminded of that on a fastbreak layup with 2:48 left, when he took a pass from Chris Singleton and had no choice but to lay the ball in.

“My explosion still isn't there,” he said. “I wanted to dunk that, but I just physically couldn't.”

Whittington, though, had enough strength to show off a variety of ways to score. He hit that open jumper from just inside the three-point line on his first attempt, then a five-footer toward the end of the third period. He added a 12-foot jump hook, a 20-foot jumper after curling off a screen on what appeared to be a called play coming out of a timeout and then that non-dunked layup. 

“He's a good young player,” the good old player David West said. “He's heady. He knows who he is.”

Which is to say versatile. His jump shots gave the impression of a 6-11 power forward who qualifies as a “stretch four,” but his postup moves proved there's more to him than that.

“Shayne is really impressive sometimes in practice,” said fellow newcomer Damjan Rudez, who also hit his first shot, a three-pointer. “He's really versatile. He can post up and he has a great shot, so he can be used in a lot of ways.”

Coach Frank Vogel sees intangibles, too.  

“He's got a great feel for the game,” Vogel said. “He's a tough kid. He picks things up pretty well. He's going to play like a rookie, but we're very high on what he can be. He brings an element of toughness to the big position that falls in line with how we play.”

Whittington's reality is that he's trying to find a spot on a roster with 14 other guaranteed contracts. There's room for one more, but the Pacers are under no obligation to keep a 15th player. One exhibition game in, though, he looks like a keeper. 

Note: The contents of this page have not been reviewed or endorsed by the Indiana Pacers. All opinions expressed by Mark Montieth are solely his own and do not reflect the opinions of the Indiana Pacers, their partners, or sponsors.

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Whittington Hides His Nerves

Wheat Hotchkiss

Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss catches you up on all the latest storylines from Pacers' training camp. Don't forget that Pacers FanJam presented by CNO Financial Group is free and open to the public this Sunday from 4:00-7:00 PM at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The first week of Pacers training camp is nearly in the books. The Blue-and-Gold has hit the hardwood for four days as they begin preparing for the 2014-15 season. They had two practices on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday and a longer afternoon session on Thursday.

It’s probably too early to gain any insight as to how individual players or the team as a whole might look this season. Veteran power forward David West said the first week of camp is mostly about doing conditioning work to get rid of “summer legs” and installing the coaching staff’s system.

“Just having a defensive approach to the game,” West said of the early focus, “trying to get an understanding of our offense as we tweak it and alter it for the guys that are here.”

With the preseason schedule tipping off with the Pacers hosting Minnesota on Tuesday, we’ll soon get a better feel for how the team is meshing and the roles different players might fill.

In the early going, Rodney Stuckey seems to be the odds-on favorite to win the starting shooting guard spot. In the portions of practice open to the media, Stuckey has been working with the starters each day, mostly playing off the ball but occasionally running the point as well.

Stuckey would seem to be a nice compliment to starting point guard George Hill, who is comfortable (and on occasion, prefers) sliding over to shooting guard in spurts.

“It’s always good to have another guy next to you that can play the 1 (point guard) and give you a little bit of break,” Hill said about Stuckey.

Hill also was quick to mention that Stuckey’s strengths (he excels in transition and at getting to the rim) are similar to those of departed shooting guard Lance Stephenson, who started next to Hill in the Pacers' backcourt the past two seasons. Head coach Frank Vogel believes Stuckey could take a similar role in the team’s offense.

“We’ve talked about that direct comparison,” Vogel said. “Not that he’s going to come in and try to be Lance Stephenson, he’s going to be Rodney Stuckey. But a lot of sets will be similar and possibly how the rotation looks could be similar as well.”

Last season, Stephenson would typically start games but come out midway through the first quarter. He would then start the second quarter with the second unit to give them an offensive spark. Reading between the lines with Vogel’s comments, Stuckey could have a similar role.

A (mildly) educated guess would be that C.J. Miles starts at small forward, though he’ll face competition from both Solomon Hill and Chris Copeland. Miles has sat out portions of practice with a mild calf strain, but it’s not believed to be serious.

Vogel: No Timetable for Paul George’s Return

While injured All-Star forward Paul George is holding out hope that he can return to the floor this season, Vogel isn’t expecting to have him in uniform in 2014-15.

George told broadcasters Chris Denari and Mark Boyle on the Pacers.com live show on Media Day that “it’s very possible” he could play at some point this season, though he also said he had  “come to peace” with the possibility that he could miss the entire year.

“I want him to push his rehab to try to get back as soon as is safe, but we’re going forward like he’s not going to play this year,” Vogel said Friday. “…If he makes it back sooner than then, we’ll cross that bridge when it comes to it.”

George remains very involved with the team – he has been present and in uniform for every practice so far this year – and his teammates are making a concerted effort to keep his spirits up during his rehab. Hill said he’s gone fishing with George multiple times and made it clear that he’s not on his own.

“We go out there and fish and clear our minds, talk about things that (are) either good or bad or basketball-related or not basketball-related,” Hill said. “Just showing that I’m there. I’m a brother that he can count on to talk to no matter what.”

Backup center Ian Mahinmi cannot participate in contact drills at the start of training camp as he recovers from a shoulder injury suffered while practicing with the French national team two days before the start of the FIBA World Cup.

Mahinmi’s absence has created an opportunity for Lavoy Allen to get an extended look at center, and so far, the coaching staff has liked what they’ve seen.

“(Allen looks) really good,” Vogel said. “We’ve got a joke that if you need a rebound, Lavoy will get it for you. He goes and gets the ball at a really high level.”

The 25-year-old Allen is a proven commodity in the NBA – he started 54 games in two and a half seasons in Philadelphia before he came to Indiana last February in the Danny Granger-Evan Turner trade. He averaged 5.8 points and 5.0 rebounds in just over 21 minutes per game in 2012-13.

But the Pacers have plenty of depth in the post, returning starters West and Roy Hibbert, as well as their primary backups, Luis Scola and Mahinmi. Still, the Pacers liked Allen so much that they re-signed him over the summer.

“I think his skill set and abilities suggest that he’s really a backup 4 (power forward) in this league or backup 5 (center),” Vogel said. “So for us to have him as a third center or a third option at either position, that’s quite a luxury.”

Allen, who says he has a much better feel for the Pacers system than he did last spring, is ready to make an impact whenever he gets an opportunity.

“If they call me, if they need me, I’ll be ready to go,” Allen said. “Whenever my time comes, I’m ready.”

Allen also seems to be a good fit in the locker room with his comic personality. Over the course of a short interview on Friday, he declared himself “the best-looking big on the team” and said he was barred from the dance contest at this Sunday’s FanJam because he was “too good.”

It’s been hard not to notice new Pacers forward Damjan Rudez the first week of training camp. You’ll find a wide smile across the Croatian’s face at nearly all times, whether he’s posing for pictures on Media Day, listening to Vogel in the post-practice huddle, or doing an interview.

For the 28-year-old who has played for seven European clubs in his professional career, his first NBA camp is a dream come true.

“This is something I worked for my whole life,” Rudez said. “I’m enjoying every second. Being around all these great players, trying to compete with everybody every day, trying to get better, it’s really an opportunity of a lifetime.”

So far, Rudez is playing primarily at small forward, though he can also play the power forward position. A shooter first and foremost, Rudez’s game is very similar to his new teammate Chris Copeland, who also made his NBA debut at the age of 28.

Vogel admitted that Rudez is still adjusting to the speed of the NBA game, but the sharpshooter has left a positive first impression with his work ethic.

“Good looking shooter, really good basketball IQ, he’s picking things up really quickly,” Vogel said.

Rudez is also very personable off the court. He speaks three languages fluently (English, Croatian, and Spanish). He’s an avid reader of the website Grantland, but his fondness for the site isn’t limited to their NBA coverage. Rudez also enjoys keeping up with American pop culture, and listed The Wire and The Sopranos as two of his favorite television shows.

“Croatia being a small country, it’s really influenced a lot by exterior influence,” Rudez said. “…We watched a lot of American television and sports.”

Rookie center Shayne Whittington was held out of Friday’s practice after getting kicked in the leg on Thursday.

Vogel said it was the same leg Whittington broke in the spring while getting ready for the NBA Draft, but this injury isn’t believed to be serious.

Shayne Whittington

Pacers Assign Whittington To Mad Ants

Pacers Recall Whittington

Pacers Assign Whittington To Mad Ants

Pacers Recall Whittington

2015 Pacers Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster

#TouchdownPacers: Lawrence Central vs. Carmel

Whittington Hides His Nerves

Notebook: Storylines from the First Week of Training Camp