Tyreke Evans' status with the Pacers is murky at the moment, but this much we know for sure: Edmond Sumner will be in the starting lineup again for Wednesday's game at Washington. And this much we can surmise: Sumner might be able to keep that spot for the remainder of the season.
Having survived the Beamon-like leap (Google if necessary) from playing against the Erie BayHawks last Wednesday to defending Klay Thompson of the Golden State Warriors on Monday with no collateral damage, Sumner finds himself in a stare-down with an opportunity that was nearly unimaginable a couple of weeks ago.
Victor Oladipo is out for the rest of the season while he rehabs from knee surgery. Evans has a sore lower back and did not participate in Tuesday's practice. Rookie Aaron Holiday pairs better with Cory Joseph in the second unit backcourt. That leaves Sumner with a potentially career-altering challenge amid a potentially season-altering road trip for the Pacers.
They left Tuesday afternoon for games against Washington on Wednesday, Orlando on Thursday, Miami on Saturday, and New Orleans on Monday — and then fly smack dab into a home game against the Lakers on Tuesday. Given their in-flux status and the need to win at least a couple of the road games to keep pace with the leaders in the Eastern Conference, the argument can be made for the games to have heightened importance.
Darren Collison says the trip will "define who we are as a team." Coach Nate McMillan doesn't go that far, but does acknowledge the urgency of the games awaiting the Pacers on a schedule that was bringing increased difficulty even before Oladipo's injury.
"Everything is important right now," McMillan said. "We're going down the stretch and we've had to make some major adjustments. Every game becomes even more important. Certainly this road trip is important."
By the end of it, Sumner's status likely will be solidified. And if Collison's enthusiastic outlook is justified, it will solidify in a positive manner for the 23-year-old who virtually qualifies for rookie status after spending most of last season recovering from knee and shoulder injuries.
Sumner might have hit just 1-of-10 shots against the Warriors on Monday when he jumped into the fire for his first meaningful NBA minutes. Still, he impressed Collison, who has seen more than a few new players come and go in his nine-plus NBA seasons. Collison overlooked the lack of accuracy and focused on the confidence Sumner displayed by not going into hibernation after firing up an air ball on his first shot, a 3-point attempt from the left corner.
"He had his head down a little bit after the game," Collison said. "I told him, 'Look, you may not notice, but you played good. Forget about the offense. I don't care how good you are, nobody in their first game playing against a back-to-back championship team is going to be great. It takes time, it takes rhythm.'
"He'll be fine."
Collison goes beyond "fine," actually. While one would expect a veteran point guard to speak optimistically about a young teammate, Collison was supportive beyond the call of duty following Tuesday's practice. Asked what gives him hope that Sumner can step into such a crucial role at such a crucial juncture of the season without tripping, Collison didn't hesitate.
"Oh, man," he said. "A lot. More than what people are going to expect, and I'm not just saying that.
"In this league, athleticism drives. Being young drives. Hungry. He has all three. He's hungry for the opportunity. I think people are going to be really impressed with what he can do.
"Remember when I said that. They're going to be really impressed."
Collison's endorsement comes from having gone head-to-head against Sumner at various stages of the preseason and season during practice, from witnessing his progress against others in practice, and from knowing what he accomplished in Fort Wayne for the G League Mad Ants this season. He believes Sumner's unselfish style of play and personality will mesh well with the starters, and his defensive ability will become a major asset.
Photo Credit: NBAE/Getty Images
Sumner is a long-armed 6-foot-5 guard who's slender enough to slither through screens, tall enough to contest shots and quick enough to stay in front of his man. He lacks strength as well as experience, especially in adapting to a team defense concept, but he seems eager to learn. He stopped assistant coach Dan Burke after practice Tuesday to ask to watch video of Monday's game with him.
"I think he'll be a special defender," Burke said.
Sumner, along with Holiday, also can provide an injection of athleticism and enthusiasm. The Pacers are hardly old and crusty, but Collison is 31, Thaddeus Young is 30, and Bogdan Bogdanovic turns 30 on April 18. It never hurts to have some eager, innocent kids with young legs around to liven things up, on the court and off — but especially on.
"We need it," Collison said. "We need them dudes to be young and flying around. Let's put some youth (against) the other team a little bit.
"You can't have too much youth because you need experience. You can't have too much experience because you need guys like Aaron and Ed. We kind of balance each other out."
The Pacers' greatest challenge going forward is more likely to be on offense than defense. Sumner's natural defensive skills will help his adjustment there, but it will take time to work him into a workable offense. McMillan said his team didn't make proper reads against the Warriors, often missing players in the low post who had mismatched defenders, and lacked ball movement.
"We kind of put our head down and everybody felt like, I can do it. I got it. I got it. I got it," McMillan said.
McMillan finds himself in the undesirable position of having to make several adjustments on the fly, past the mid-season point, in a playoff race and with "new" players having to contribute. He had introduced new elements to the offense for last Saturday's game at Memphis when Evans started, and now has to do it again for Sumner and Holiday. But he can't throw too much at young players whose heads are in the spin cycle, both in practice and games.
"Absolutely," he said. "(I'm thinking during the game), I can't call this, I can't call that. That's part of the adjustment you have to make. Today was a good day because I was able to get all of our (young) guys who haven't been playing a lot of minutes a lot of reps."
The cliché about NBA road trips is that they help a team bond. They can but it's hardly automatic, particularly later in the season when most of the bonding already has taken place, or not. This modified Pacers team, however, might benefit from being together for a week. Not only will Sumner have an opportunity to shed his G League identity and become better acclimated to his NBA teammates, the Pacers will be forced to transition to a new Oladipo-less identity.
"I think we need some toughness," Collison said. "What better way to start than on this road trip? Sometimes you can tend to feel sorry for yourself, and that makes the situation worse. Or, you can do something about it. Being on the road in a hostile environment playing against teams that have something to play for, I think this can be good for us."
Telling, at the very least.
Have a question for Mark? Want it to be on Pacers.com? Email him at askmontieth@gmail.com and you could be featured in his next mailbag.
Mark Montieth's book on the formation and groundbreaking seasons of the Pacers, "Reborn: The Pacers and the Return of Pro Basketball to Indianapolis," is available in bookstores throughout Indiana and on Amazon.com.
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.