Edmond Sumner doesn't have much evidence to build his case for becoming an NBA point guard, other than his intriguing physical potential.
There is this one game, though.
The Fort Wayne Mad Ants were playing the Erie Bayhawks in a G League playoff game on April 3. Sumner, who had played in just 14 regular season games for the Mad Ants — and hadn't played since March 23 — played 21 minutes, scored 18 points on 7-of-11 field goal attempts, hit his only 3-point attempt, grabbed seven rebounds, and added two blocked shots.
It was an eye-opening stat line for a player who had averaged just 7.2 points on below-par shooting during the regular season, and could be easily dismissed as a fluke but for one thing: Sumner says it was the only game of the season in which he felt completely healthy.
"I felt like I could trust my knee again," he recalled Monday following the Pacers' Summer League team workout at St. Vincent Center. "Sometimes I'd feel good and sometimes I wouldn't. The last game of the season, my body felt totally good that game."
Feeling totally good is a welcome sensation for Sumner, who came to the Pacers a year ago after they purchased the 52nd pick in the draft from New Orleans. He was damaged goods, otherwise he likely would have been a first-round pick — perhaps, some have speculated, a lottery pick.
He had played in just 58 games at Xavier, 22 of them as a redshirt sophomore before tearing his ACL in January. He also needed some shoulder repair when the Pacers got him, so Summer League a year ago was out of the question. He didn't play in a game until Jan. 19, when he made his debut for the Mad Ants.
He never hit a groove because of his rehab process, another minor knee injury, and a death in the family that kept him away from the training staff for a while. Until April 3, that is. A short-lived groove, to be sure.
A week later he got in for the final 2 minutes, 10 seconds of the Pacers' final regular season game against Charlotte. He showed a glimpse of his potential in that game, too, grabbing a rebound and dribbling the length of the court for a lefthanded finger roll layup in the final minute.
So there you go. A resume of two games, one in the G League and a garbage time moment in the NBA. Summer League play in Las Vegas is significant for Sumner, and not just because he's one typographical error away from being its namesake. He needs to show something, for more than just 130 seconds, or one game.
"This is the first time the world is going to get to see me again since college," he said. "I want to go out there and prove myself all over again."
Mad Ants coach Steve Gansey, who will direct the Pacers Summer League team, qualifies as the world's foremost Sumner expert at the moment, having seen him up close for those 15 G League games. Sumner was on a minutes restriction for all of those games and less than 100 percent for all but one, but showed enough to maintain the intrigue that accompanied a year ago.
He's 6-foot-6, with a 6-7 wingspan. (For length, think George Hill, who is 6-3 with a 6-9 wingspan). He's quick, he's fast, he's explosive and he has the passing skills to take advantage of his drives into the lane. He describes himself as a "dynamic" guard. Gansey agrees — especially at the defensive end.
"I really like him because he can do a lot of things different defensively," Gansey said. "He'll fight, and he's really strong. One thing (members of the training staff) tell me is that he's one of the strongest guys on the team. You might think he's got a slender frame but he can hold his own down there."
TJ Leaf also has seen more of Sumner than most, having worked out with him since the Pacers' season ended and in the first two Summer League workouts.
"He's doing some things athletically that not a lot of people can do," Leaf said. "He's blessed with so many physical attributes and he works hard. He's a guy who's really fun to be around and fun to play with."
Now that his health has been addressed, the major question mark attached to Sumner is his shooting, a handy skill for an NBA guard. He hit just 12-of-44 3-point attempts in his final abbreviated season at Xavier and 5-of-20 in his first abbreviated season with the Mad Ants. He's focused on that during his workouts at St. Vincent Center the past two months, tweaking his form by leaning into his shot rather than backward as he lets it go. Mostly, though, it's a matter of repetition and selection.
"For me it's about shooting good shots every time, no matter the result," Sumner said. "Earlier in my career if I shot and missed, I'd just go to where I knew I wouldn't miss and that was attacking the rim. Now it's staying confident with it and knowing I've put in the time and reps."
Time will tell. Sumner hit his only 3-point attempt, from the right corner, during the brief portion of the scrimmage media members watched on Monday, but that's not even a blip on the radar at this point.
The Pacers don't appear to have an opening for a point guard next season. Veterans Darren Collison and Cory Joseph return and will be joined by first-round draft pick Aaron Holiday, who has a guaranteed rookie contract. Although Sumner arrived first to the NBA, Holiday comes with more experience and pedigree. He played in 101 colleges games for 3,209 minutes in three seasons at UCLA, while Sumner played in 59 games for 1,542 minutes in three seasons at Xavier.
Sumner, still playing catchup, seems likely to spend another season with the Mad Ants. He could take a major step toward the NBA, though, with a strong performance in Vegas.
"Whatever the organization wants me to do I'm willing to do it," he said. "I'm determined to get better. I'll wait for my turn. I'm a patient guy. I'll stick to the process."
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