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The Pacers' 2022 Summer League squad got things rolling today with its first scheduled practice of the week. The team will continue to practice the new few days at Ascension St. Vincent Center before flying out to Las Vegas to battle against other NBA Summer League teams.

This year, Pacers Assistant Coach Ronald Nored is at the helm. The former Butler star and Brownsburg High School head coach told media members that the squad is focused on growth. Although, a few wins would certainly add to the experience.

"Learning is our biggest priority here," he said. "We have a lot of young guys. Even our guys that are back. They are learning. This is a learning environment."

"We would love to go 5-0. But if these guys come to training camp and understand defensive rotations, they understand our offensive system, (and) they understand how we play defense, that's the priority."

The Blue &amp; Gold's highly touted draft picks, Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard, and Kendall Brown are all getting their first sample of NBA experience. After practice, Mathurin told media members he was "really excited" about the opportunity.

"(It's) great," he said. "It's my first NBA practice as an NBA player. "There are a lot of things I still need to improve (upon). And it's been great just going to practices and stuff."

Mathurin added that he could not wait to get back on the court for day two, illustrating the competitive drive the Pacers saw when selecting him sixth overall.

A few familiar faces are back as well. Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, Duane Washington Jr., and Terry Taylor are using the Summer League to elevate their games to the next level for year two.

"There is always something to learn," said Duarte. "You can never stop learning. This is another opportunity for me to keep learning, keep getting experience, and keep working on my game."

Duarte also offered his takeaways on his one-time rival, Mathurin.

"He's a great player," the Oregon product said. "(He has) a lot of potential…I know he's going to do good in Summer League. He's going to keep getting better."

"Chris Duarte is a great player," Mathurin praised. "I'm really grateful to have him by my side. He was telling me things I could've done better."

Overall, everyone is in good spirits after day one. For the second-year players, it marks the beginning of a new year. It is a chance to learn from past mistakes and look forward to the new season. But for the rookies, it is a chance to don the Blue &amp; Gold jersey and realize their dream is becoming a reality.

"It does feel real," said Mathurin. "I got my jersey on, with my number. It's just a blessing to be here, to be honest. But basketball is also my job. So, I'm here to compete. I'm here to stay."

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Pacers Summer League Roster Holds First Practice

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers announced Thursday their rookie/free agent camp roster. Highlighting the roster are 2022 draft picks Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard and Kendall Brown, as well as returning players Chris Duarte, Isaiah Jackson, Terry Taylor, Duane Washington, Jr. and Gabe York.

Prior to departing for Las Vegas for Summer League, the Pacers will practice Friday through Wednesday at the St. Vincent Center.  Pacers assistant coach Ronald Nored will serve as head coach of the Pacers Summer League team.

Indiana Pacers 2022 Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster

No. | Player | Pos | Ht | Wt | Birthdate | College/Home Country | NBA Years | Last Team

20 | Bennie Boatwright | F | 6-10 | 235 | 6/13/1996 | USC | R | Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA G League)

5 | Eli Brooks | G | 6-1 | 185 | 10/14/1998 | Michigan | R | Michigan (NCAA)

10 | Kendall Brown | G/F | 6-8 | 205 | 5/11/2003 | Baylor | R | Baylor (NCAA)

26 | Tevin Brown | G | 6-5 | 175 | 9/23/1998 | Murray State | R | Murray State (NCAA)

41 | David DiLeo | F | 6-8 | 224 | 2/28/1997 | Central Michigan | R | P.A.O.K. BC (Greece)

3 | Chris Duarte | G | 6-6 | 190 | 6/13/1997 | Oregon | 1 | Indiana Pacers

14 | Nate Hinton | G | 6-5 | 210 | 6/8/1999 | Houston | 2 | Fort Wayne Mad Ants (NBA G League)

22 | Isaiah Jackson | F | 6-10 | 206 | 1/10/2002 | Kentucky | 1 | Kentucky (NCAA)

00 | Bennedict Mathurin | G | 6-6 | 195 | 6/19/2002| Arizona | R | Arizona (NCAA)

2 | Andrew Nembhard | G | 6-5 | 193 | 1/16/2000 | Gonzaga | R | Gonzaga (NCAA)

13 | Jermaine Samuels | F | 6-7 | 230 | 11/13/1998 | Villanova | R | Villanova (NCAA)

15 | Simi Shittu | F | 6-10 | 240 | 11/7/1999 | Vanderbilt/United Kingdom | R | Ironi Nes Ziona (Israel)

21 | Terry Taylor | F | 6-5 | 230 | 9/23/1999 | Austin Peay | 1 | Indiana Pacers

4 | Duane Washington, Jr. | G | 6-3 | 210 | 3/24/2000 | Ohio State | 1 | Indiana Pacers

8 | Gabe York | G | 6-3 | 185 | 8/2/1993 | Arizona | 1 | Indiana Pacers

11 | Fanbo Zeng | F | 6-9 | 200 | 1/11/2000 | China | R | G League Ignite (NBA G League)

Pacers Summer League Head Coach: Ronald Nored, Butler

Friday, July 8 | 6:00/3:00 p.m. | Charlotte vs. Indiana | Thomas &amp; Mack | ESPN2

Sunday, July 10 | 3:00/12:00 p.m. | Indiana vs. Sacramento | Cox Pavilion | ESPN

Tuesday, July 12 | 9:00/6:00 p.m. | Detroit vs. Indiana | Thomas &amp; Mack | NBATV

Friday, July 15 | 9:00/6:00 p.m. | Indiana vs. Washington | Thomas &amp; Mack | ESPN2

Sunday, July 17 | 3:00/12:00 p.m. | Championship | Thomas &amp; Mack | ESPN

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Pacers Announce 2022 Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster

New Pacers guard Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, sits down with Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss.

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Bennedict Mathurin One-On-One Interview

The Indiana Pacers announced they exercised the team option on forward Oshae Brissett’s contract for the 2022-23 season Wednesday afternoon.

Brissett has become a fan favorite over the past two seasons with the Blue &amp; Gold. The undrafted Syracuse product joined the 2020-21 squad in early April and slowly built up his playing time. In the final regular-season game against the Toronto Raptors that year, he erupted for 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting in 36:06 of game time. It is a career-high total that remains today.

During his first full season in the NBA in 2021-22, Brissett averaged 9.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game over a team-high 67 appearances. The forward missed just four games due to injury. He earned a start in 25 games and always gave maximum effort. The forward's impact is sometimes not present on the stat sheet. He hustles for deflections, dives for loose balls, and scraps in the paint. However, he was not shy with his desire to make the highlight reel either.

Brissett provided fans last year with three high-flying dunks that made national headlines. One dunk included an homage to Karl "The Postman" Malone's iconic in-flight pose. A full breakdown of the Canadian's impact last year can be found in his 2022 Player Review. Nonetheless, Pacers fans are glad to have him back this year. And Brissett appears to be excited too.

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Pacers Exercise Team Option On Oshae Brissett

New Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, the 31st overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, sits down with Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss.

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Andrew Nembhard One-On-One Interview

New Pacers forward Kendall Brown, the 48th overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, sits down with Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss.

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Kendall Brown One-On-One Interview

When NBA teams travel to Toronto to play the Raptors, they hear the sounds of our northern neighbor's national anthem before each game. If Indiana continues to draft the way they did this year, the Pacers might have to play it in Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

With the selections of Bennedict Mathurin and Andrew Nembhard, the Pacers added two athletes to an already growing list of NBA players that hail from the Great White North. The duo will be joining Oshae Brissett to make three Canadians on Indiana's roster. Additionally, Pacers guard Chris Duarte was born in Canada, though he moved to the Dominican Republic at an early age.

Brissett, a fan favorite by all measures, was born and raised in Toronto and played a portion of his high school basketball career for St. Aloysius Gonzaga in Mississauga, Ontario. On draft night, he tweeted out his support for the selections.

Meanwhile, Mathurin is a native of Montreal. The 6-foot, 5-inch swingman from Arizona grew up playing ice hockey and football as well. In 2018, Mathurin joined the NBA Academy Latin America in Mexico City, becoming the first Canadian-born player to do so.

Moments after the Pacers picked Mathurin, the Portland Trail Blazers selected fellow Canadian Shaedon Sharpe from Kentucky. According to Sportsnet, the duo became just the second pair of Canadians picked in the Top 10 of the NBA draft. In 2014, the Cleveland Cavaliers selected Andrew Wiggins first overall, and the Sacramento Kings selected Nik Stauskas with the eighth pick.

"I feel like I'm a winner," Mathurin said during his press conference. "I'm a really competitive guy. Off the court, I feel I'm a pretty funny guy. I like doing a lot of fun stuff."

Later, the Pacers selected Nembhard with the first pick of the second round (31st overall). The promising guard was born in Aurora, Ontario, and played a part of his high school basketball career at Vaughan Secondary School. For reference, Vaughan is roughly a 40-minute drive north of Mississauga, where Brissett played. He later finished his high school career at Monteverde Academy in Florida.

Nembhard is a confident facilitator with plenty of experience and should not be forgotten by Pacers fans. He has spent time at the international level, playing for Team Canada in FIBA competitions for their U-16, U-17, U-18, and senior national teams. Of course, the Blue &amp; Gold hope Nembhard becomes as recognizable as another Canadian guard, Hall-of-Famer Steve Nash.

Immediately after the Pacers selected Nembhard, the Orlando Magic selected Caleb Houstan, another Canadian-born athlete. According to Sportsnet, the selection made 2022 the fourth year where four or more Canadians were taken in the NBA draft (1983, 2014, and 2019). Currently, Canada has had 37 players chosen in the NBA draft since the beginning of the two-round format in 1989.