2015 NBA Draft

Wheat Hotchkiss

2015-draft-pacers-pick-myles-turner

2015 Draft: Pacers Pick Myles Turner

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He's only experienced four practices packed into two days, and has yet to rub elbows, shoulders and hips with an established NBA frontline player. So, OK, we won't get carried away with praise for Myles Turner.

Still, last week's first-round draft pick is already looking like next season's contributor, given the impression he's leaving on coaches and potential teammates, not to mention the media guys standing around watching the end of practices.

He's 6-11. He has an NBA body, even at 19 years old. He shows legit post moves. He snatches rebounds from the clutches of opponents. He keeps draining 3-pointers after practice, which, sure, is different than draining them in an actual NBA game, but still qualifies as a representation of his solid shooting form. He communicates well. What's not to like?

"He's a live wire," assistant coach Dan Burke said following Thursday morning's workout on the practice court at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. "I'm excited about him."

You might remember Burke as everyone's favorite interview on Pacers telecasts, where the assistant coaches take turns offering a first-half summation before the start of the second half. If the team is playing poorly, he'll tell you all about it with the subtlety of a sledge-hammer, so he seems the least likely candidate to needlessly spread icing on an unproven rookie.

Asked for an early general summation, Burke didn't hold back.

"Oh, my goodness," he said. "The length. The length just sticks out. He's got some great hands. He made a couple of grabs where he just snatched the ball out of the air with one hand. You never even hear the ball hit his hand. He's been well-coached. He catches the ball high, keeps it high. He's got a high release, a soft touch (on his shot) and changes a lot of shots on the defensive end, even when he's out of position.

"He's so mobile. We're trying to teach him two ways to play pick-and-roll defense. His drops look like a blitz and his blitzes look like a drop right now. But he's so long and quick, the point guards just stop and are like, 'Holy mackerel.' He's going to have an effect on games."

How much a 19-year-old rookie can contribute remains to be seen. The Pacers aren't even sure of their roster in these dawning days of free agency, and Turner has four months to go before he plays in a regular season game. For a teenager, that's a significant amount of time to improve.

Pacers free agent Shayne Whittington, who has 20 games of NBA experience behind him, drew a similar impression as Burke.

"He's long; very long," Whittington said. "There were a few offensive rebounds I thought I had and he snatches it out from under me. It's crazy.

"He's long enough and he has the frame to put on mass, but right now he's 19 years old. He's got time. His muscles have to mature a little bit. When that happens he's going to be a force."

Turner shows skills near and far from the basket. Burke says the plan is to keep the focus near the foul lane to start, and work out from there. Turner, though, shows an accurate shooting touch. He hit 10-of-12 3-pointers at the end of his post-practice shooting on Thursday, which doesn't jibe with his percentage in his only season at Texas, where he hit 17-of-62 attempts (.274).

"It was poor execution, I'll put it that way," he said. "I'm a lot better shooter than what I showed. I'm  hoping to prove that this season and for years to come."

In other words, he forced some of those attempts, got "a little shot-happy at times." The kind of thing a teenager can do.

Turner has been living in the Conrad since he came to Indianapolis after the draft. His father, David, came a few days ago to keep him company. The kind of thing a dad will do for a teenager in a new city. Turner begins his attempt to play a more grown-up game on Saturday, when the Pacers open Summer League play in Orlando. He hopes to play in all five games, where he'll at least get a small hint of what lies ahead.

He doesn't even know what he's getting into. Burke does, though, and expects he'll be able to find a place for himself even as a rookie.

"If you can contribute one or two things to help us win, you've got a chance," he said. "I always forget he's 19 when I watch him, with the way he carries himself and the way he talks the game. I think he's going to be a unique talent."

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.

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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Turner Makes Early Impression

Most second-round picks in the NBA Draft seem fairly random, a blindfolded toss at a dartboard propelled by hope for a small miracle.

Joe Young's arrival to the Pacers, on the other hand, feels more like fate. How's all this for coincidence?

His father, Michael, was a first-round draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 1984. There's a photo hanging on the wall at his home in Houston taken at his press conference, with a photo of Pacers president Larry Bird in the background.

An assistant coach at Oregon, Kevin McKenna, is a former Pacers player who played against Bird in college, coached at Bird's alma mater, Indiana State, and still gets in some trash-talking rounds of golf with Bird's brothers in Terre Haute.

An injury in Young's pre-draft workout with the Pacers prevented him from working out for other NBA teams, making it far easier to secure him with the 43rd pick.

RELATED: 2015 Rookie/Free Agent Camp Roster »

And, he just happens to be a cousin of Paul George, the Pacers' marquee player.

"There's so many stories coming out of this, it's amazing," Young's mother, Tina, said.

Start with the family ties. George and Young descend from a pair of twins, Merice and Olympe, who grew up in Opelousas, La. They were the Mulatto daughters of a Negro slave, Celeste'. George can trace his ancestry to Merice, and Young to Olympe.

There's a certain irony here that brings the family history full circle. Merice died at the age of 35 on Nov. 9, 1855. Her three young children were then reared by Olympe, meaning Young's great-great-great-great grandmother did George's great-great-great-great grandmother a life-altering favor. Now George has an opportunity to return a career-altering favor to Young by mentoring the fresh-out-of-college prospect.

Young wasn't aware of his relationship with George until his mother, Tina, told him after the draft. Her information comes from a relative, Alex Da' Paul Lee of Beaumont, Tex., who has conducted extensive research into the family genealogy, which can be found in greater detail at www.facebook.com/Alexgenealogy.

Young is still trying to figure it out himself.

"It's just a long story," he said Tuesday morning when he met with the Indianapolis media for the first time. "There's a lot thrown at me."

Young knows his relationship with George won't be enough to land him a spot on the Pacers' roster. In fact, the relationship that has the most direct bearing on his future is with his father, Michael, who passed on basketball bloodlines and a work ethic that got him this far. Michael Young, a member of the University of Houston Phi Slamma Jamma team that twice reached the final game of the NCAA tournament, was the 24th player selected in the '84 draft by the Celtics. A 6-7 forward, he wound up playing 49 NBA games, 45 of them for the Clippers and two each for Phoenix and Philadelphia. He played professionally for 13 years, most of them overseas or in the Continental Basketball Association.

Young, a third-team All-American in college, instilled an athletic mentality in all five of his children. Joe, the second-oldest, had to get up at 5 a.m. in the third grade during the school year to work out, and had to do even more in the summers. He ran track and cross country until he was 13, when he began concentrating solely on basketball.

"That's the type of dad he has," Young's mother, Tina, said. "(Michael) started a work ethic with Joe."

"At that type of age, you don't want to get up at 5 o'clock," Young said. "It started to click a couple of years ago that hard work pays off."

Michael Young hasn't been an oppressive, meddling father, though. McKenna says he was supportive of the Oregon coaches, and asked if they wanted him to push Joe in certain areas to help them.

Young's workout with the Pacers brought bad luck for him, but great luck for the Pacers. A participant in the first of the Pacers' pre-draft workouts, he sprained his left foot during a one-on-one drill. He re-laced his shoes and completed the session, but could barely walk afterward and was forced to cancel his other eight scheduled workouts.

If not for that, he likely wouldn't have been available to the Pacers in the second round. His ever-improving performance at Oregon, where he led the Pac-12 in scoring his two seasons there and was named the league MVP as a senior, had caught the eye of NBA scouts. He's ultra-athletic, an outstanding shooter, a leader and a worker. He played off-guard his junior season at Oregon, but mostly point guard as a senior. At 6-2, he obviously will have to make it as a point guard in the NBA, and it so happens the Pacers have a couple of openings at that position.

It helps Young's cause that he's not a one-and-done infant just shedding his swaddling clothes. He redshirted before beginning his college career at Houston, then transferred after two seasons when his father was caught up in a controversy that generated a lawsuit. He turned 23 on Saturday, so he's just two years younger than George.

It also helps Young's cause that he's displayed the sort of leadership qualities point guards need. Young made it a point to fit in his first season at Oregon, when it had a strong core of seniors, but took over last season's team. The Ducks had just three returning rotation players, and got off to a slow start. Young took it upon himself to call 8 a.m. meetings – "Joe's Chalk Talk," they called it – in which he stood at a white dry erase board and went over fundamental aspects of the game. Aggression, communication, defense, offensive execution, being coachable, that kind of stuff. Then he took them out onto the court for a show and tell session.

He did that for a week. The following week, his teammates complained that he wasn't continuing with the lessons, so they gathered for another week.

"That chalk talk really worked," he said. "Getting a team that wasn't together at the beginning and getting together as a family, you can go far. You have each other's back at the end of the day."

Young, by the way, wants to coach someday.

"Not right now," he says. "I plan on being in the league for some years."

McKenna says the impact of Young's leadership was dramatic.

"He knows how to reach the kids, how to inspire them a little bit," said McKenna, who averaged 6.3 points over 61 games for the Pacers in the 1981-82 season. "We weren't a very good team and Joe recognized that we needed them to move along a little quicker.  He took it up on himself to reach out to those guys.

He used to text them every day, with come-together type stuff. It really paid off. Guys bought in and played better."

Oregon started the season 5-3, which inspired the Chalk Talk gatherings, then got it together in non-conference play. It suffered a 90-56 road loss to No. 6 Arizona on Jan. 15, however, to drop to 4-4 in conference play. It came back two days later to win at Oregon State by one point in overtime, which proved to be the season turning point. The Ducks went on to win 11 of their final 13 conference games and finish second to Arizona in the Pac-12.

Oregon defeated Oklahoma State in the NCAA tournament with Young scoring 27 points. It ultimately lost to eventual national runner-up Wisconsin, with Young scoring 30.

"We were 9-0 in games decided by five points or less, and Joe was a big part of that," McKenna said. "He hit shots at the end of games and made plays at the end of games. He was pressing early in season, maybe looking toward the draft too much. He was too tight, thought he had to do it all, but once he relaxed his numbers got way better.

"The way the game is going, you've got to be able to score. If you've got the ball in your hands, you've got to be able to score. Joe can go get a shot, he can create space, and he has good ballhandling ability, athleticism and quickness. He decision-making and playmaking will improve; it did for us. It's a totally different game where he is right now. Once he gets to that level he'll figure it out. He's a good instinctive player."

Young's arrival to the Pacers reconnects a tie for McKenna, too. After graduating from Creighton, where he had played against Bird, he played six NBA seasons for four teams. His coaching stops include three seasons at Indiana State, from 2007-10, and he still looks for opportunities to get back to Terre Haute. He played golf with Bird's brother, Mark, and other friends when he returned to Indianapolis for the Final Four this year.

Now, through Young, he's got another reason to follow the Pacers or to come back to Indiana.

"It's kind of a neat deal," he said. "I'm a Pacers fan again."

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Draft Pick Young, Pacers Have Family Ties

Last night, the Pacers drafted Myles Turner out of the University of Texas with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. After attending the draft in Brooklyn, Turner flew to Indianapolis on Friday morning to get acclimated to his new city.

Turner was joined by Pacers President Larry Bird and head coach Frank Vogel for an introductory press conference with the local media.

PHOTO GALLERY: Myles Turner Meets the Media »

"I'm very excited to be part of this organization," Turner said. "Rich history, basketball country out here...I'm willing to work, willing to take my game to the next level. Whatever it takes to get this program rolling more than it already was."

Turner seemed at ease with the media, no matter if the topic was serious or light-hearted.

At one point, he gracefully explained how he wore the number 52 in college to honor his middle school friend and teammate Habram Rosario, who passed away from leukemia.

At another point, Turner joked about his one year playing football, calling it "the worst year of my life."

"For some reason, the coach decided to put me on the offensive line," he said, when asked to explain what made it so bad.

Turner also revealed a little insight into his family, including his mother, who grew up in Ft. Wayne before moving to Texas for her last year of high school. He said the she's the person who instilled in him the value of having a good work ethic. Turner also talked about his 12-year-old sister Mya, who shares some of his genes, as she's already 5-9 and wears a size 13 shoe.

A short while after the press conference, Turner was kind enough to join us for a Twitter Q&A. Fans submitted questions using the hashtag #AskMyles. It was a good chance to get to know the 19-year-old. Among other things, he revealed that his glasses are indeed prescription, he loves watching Netflix, and he's a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. He also revealed which number he'll be wearing with the Pacers (you'll have to watch the video to find out).

2015 PACERS DRAFT GEAR: Turner Jerseys On Sale Now »

To learn more about the newest member of the Pacers, check out both Turner's introductory press conference and his Twitter Q&A in the video player above.

And if that's not enough, we've also got a bevy of links from last night's eventful evening:

DRAFT NIGHT RECAP: Re-Live the 2015 Draft »

OFFICIAL RELEASE: Pacers Draft Turner and Young »

MONTIETH: Pacers Add Frontcourt, Point Guard Depth »

2015-16 SEASON TICKETS: Register for Next Season »

DRAFT CENTRAL: Prospect Bios, Video Interviews, and More »

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers Draft Myles Turner »

PHOTO GALLERY: Pacers Draft Joseph Young »

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Reactions to Pacers' Draft »

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Myles Turner Arrives in Indiana

Superficially, it made little sense. The Pacers are supposed to be in this transition toward a smaller, faster team, so who do they take with the 11th pick in the NBA draft?

A muscular 6-11 guy with a "fantastic body" who supposedly doesn't run the court well.

Don't worry, Frank Vogel and Larry Bird said.

"There's two types of ways to play small," the Pacers' coach said after University of Texas center Myles Turner was added to an in-flux roster Thursday evening. "You can play small at the four or play small at the five. I don't envision us playing center-less basketball.

"Playing fast is also about trying to play with more space. If you can have a rim-protector like him who can shoot with range, he'll contribute to what we're trying to do on the offensive end."

The Pacers drafted Oregon guard Joseph Young with their second-round pick.

Bird said he liked Indianapolis product Trey Lyles, and considered drafting him, but with Paul George likely to play more power forward next season – which would be Lyles' position – he wanted to go with a bigger player who can play center, at least some of the time. The Pacers' final four choices appear to have come down to four "bigs:" Frank Kaminsky, Willie Caulie-Stein, Turner and Lyles. Kaminsky and Caulie-Stein were gone by the time the Pacers got their turn.

"We loved Trey Lyles," Bird said. "That was a guy we were very, very high on. But just knowing Paul's going to play a lot of four, Turner was our guy."

Turner was rated a top ten prospect in his high school class, as high as No. 2 by ESPN, but averaged "just" 10.1 points at Texas in his only college season. He led the conference in blocked shots (2.6) and showed NBA 3-point range, although his accuracy was spotty. He's regarded as a solid mid-range shooter who can play a forward position as well as center, and is as capable defensively as offensively.

"His ability to protect the rim is off the charts," Bird said.

2015 PACERS DRAFT GEAR: Now Available Online »

Vogel praised him for his character, work ethic, IQ and body – pretty much the standard analysis of a just-drafted player, although it's a consensus opinion of Turner. One thing that stood out about Turner above all other draft candidates in his workout with the Pacers, though, was his level of engagement. He asked questions – "good questions, too"  according to Vogel – during and after the session. He's also engaging with reporters. In a conference call Thursday evening, he even apologized for saying "um" a few times.

The primary knock against him has been his running form and speed, which is a bit of a strange concern about a 19-year-old 7-footer who's still growing into his body. Turner was described as "lumbering" up and down the floor at Texas, and the concerns mounted to the point his agent felt the need to address them by having Turner go to a New York hospital and be examined. No structural issues were found, and  Turner was put on a workout schedule to strengthen his glutes, hips and core muscles.

A 27-page report was issued to every NBA team to tamp down concerns. Bird said he has none about Turner's mobility or ability to run the court.

"That's no problem at all," he said. "His running is fine. He's been working hard on it. He just turned 19 years old."

"We talked to our training staff, they've examined it, and he's doing some things to change his running style," Vogel said.

Turner, who has a 7-foot-4 wingspan, is far from a finished product physically, but has a good foundation to begin an NBA career. He at least looks far more ready for league warfare than most 19-year-olds. Vogel praised his body five times in his comments with the media.

Turner isn't likely to get major minutes as a rookie, regardless of how the rest of the roster shakes down, but will be counted upon to play some as a rookie and become a starter in two or three years. He's a late-bloomer who didn't begin taking basketball seriously until his sophomore year of high school. That, combined with his age, leaves plenty of room for growth.

"Obviously he's going to take some time," Vogel said. "We feel his upside is two years or three years from now. But we do feel he can contribute this year with the way we want to play."

"Just watching his growth in the last nine months is pretty impressive," Bird added. "Around All-Star break (next season) we think he'll be a lot better than he is now."

Young, a 6-2 combo guard, also should fit the plan to play faster. He was voted the Pac-12 Player of the Year and averaged a league-best 20.7 points last season. He scored 30 in his final game against Wisconsin in the NCAA tournament.

He's athletic and shoots well – .925 from the foul line last season – but dropped to the second round because of his size and lack of point guard experience.

"He's going to push the ball and make shots," Bird said. "We liked Joe all year. We were pretty surprised he'd be there.

"Hopefully we can get the ball up and down the court a little faster."

Second-round picks are never locks to make an NBA team, but Young appears to have a better chance than most. The Pacers have just one point guard under contract next season, George Hill.

"I like him; I really like him," Bird said. "I think he's got a good opportunity to make our team."

Despite media reports that David West will opt out of his contract and Roy Hibbert will opt in and play another season for the Pacers, Bird said he has received no indication from either player or his representation.

"I don't know what they're going to do," he said. "It's their decision and they'll make that decision."

The deadline for an announcement is June 29.

Vogel said Paul George is claiming to be 100 percent physically and "looks really good." George is working out in Los Angeles this summer, but was at The Fieldhouse last week and worked out for the Pacers' coaches.

"He's looked really good in individual workouts," Vogel said.

"He still has a long way to go, but he's looking really good right now."

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Pacers Add Turner, Young in 2015 Draft

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Pacers Select Joseph Young

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Pacers Select Myles Turner

In the 2015 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers drafted Myles Turner out of the University of Texas with the 11th overall pick. They later selected Joseph Young from Oregon with the 43rd overall pick. Pacers.com's Wheat Hotchkiss kept a running log on this page throughout the night, keeping Pacers fans informed as the night unfolded.

12:20 AM: That's a wrap from The Fieldhouse. We're posting the last couple videos to the site right now. Thanks for joining us!

Be sure to come back tomorrow afternoon to watch Myles Turner's introductory press conference, which we'll stream live on Pacers.com at 1:00 PM. We also will have a live Twitter Q-and-A with Turner streaming live sometime tomorrow afternoon...stay tuned for more details.

11:50 PM: Bird said that he thinks Young "has a good chance" to make the 2015-16 roster. Second round picks do not have guaranteed contracts, but the Pacers have had success in the second round (most recently with Lance Stephenson).

11:46 PM: Bird says Turner can play both power forward and center. The team knows he's young, but think he can grow into a major role. Bird says he thinks it will take "three or four years" for Turner to reach his potential, but "we think the sky's the limit."

Bird also reiterated that Paul George will play a lot at power forward next season.

11:44 PM: Larry Bird talking now. His comment on Joseph Young: "Joe's going to push the ball and make shots. We've liked him all year."

Bird said Pacers were surprised Young was still on the board at #43.

11:38 PM: OFFICIAL - The Pacers drafted Oregon combo guard Joseph Young with 43rd overall pick. Young, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, averaged 20.7 points per game as a senior for the Ducks.

Young was one of the players at the first pre-draft workout the Pacers hosted. Watch His Pre-Draft Interview »

11:35 PM: The Pacers are back on the clock. Several players who worked out in Indiana have gone recently: Rakeem Christmas, Richaun Holmes, Darrun Hilliard, Pat Connaughton, and Olivier Hanlon.

11:20 PM: A couple more players who worked out with the Pacers are off the board at picks 33 and 34. LSU shot-blocker Jordan Mickey goes to Boston, while the Lakers take Stanford sharpshooter Anthony Brown.

11:05 PM: The second round is now underway and things should move a little quicker now. With Turner on board, do the Pacers look for a guard with the 43rd pick? Or do they continue to stockpile depth in the frontcourt?

We'll find out the answer in roughly a half hour.

10:42 PM: Turner is on the phone with the media now. A couple things he's said:

He's always played in the post, but he credits his dad for always staying on him to keep working on his shot.

Turner was very impressed with Pacers head coach Frank Vogel taking an active role in his pre-draft workout.

He said he doesn't compare himself to any current player, but tries to take bits and pieces from various player's game, including Kevin Garnett, Kevin Durant, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Anthony Davis.

Turner feels most comfortable on the defensive end with his length and athleticism.

10:30 PM: Several players who came into The Fieldhouse for pre-draft workouts are now off the board: Trey Lyles, Cameron Payne, Kelly Oubre, Terry Rozier, Rashad Vaughn, Jerian Grant, Delon Wright, and Bobby Portis have all been picked. The 25th pick was just announced, so still 18 more selections before the Pacers draft again.

10:15 PM: Uploading a new video of Turner in the hallway at Barclays Center shortly after being drafted.

"Indiana is basketball country," Turner said. "I'm just very excited to be part of the organization."

On if he expected to be drafted by the Pacers: "(After) my workout, I had a good showing. They expressed some interest, but I had no idea who else they were considering."

10:00 PM: Apologies for the lack of updates. As you can see, we now have videos from tonight in the player above, with more to come. Turner should call in to talk to the Indiana media at some point shortly.

9:36 PM: Even though he's just 19, Vogel says Turner "has an NBA body." His wingspan was measured at 7-4 at the NBA Draft Combine and he has a standing reach of 9-4.

9:33 PM: Vogel is speaking with media now. Apologies about our difficulties with live stream, it seems to finally be working. We'll have full video of Vogel's comments up on Pacers.com in the next half hour or so.

9:28 PM: I just talked with Pacers head coach Frank about the pick (video will be up shortly). Vogel said he feels like Turner can both contribute early and also grow tremendously in his first few years in league. He said he believes Turner is a perfect fit for the Pacers' much-ballyhooed faster system next season, particularly with his ability to stretch the floor with his shooting.

Perhaps more than anything, Vogel played up Turner's character. Called him a perfect fit for Indiana's culture and locker room. Loved his eagerness to learn during his pre-draft workout.

9:18 PM: Here's a special greeting to Pacers fans from Turner himself (video courtesy of Jeff Tzucker, our Digital leader on the ground in Brooklyn):

9:10 PM: We're waiting for an interview with someone from the Pacers Draft Room. In the meantime, here are more Turner quotes from his workout:

On what he wanted to show the Pacers: "(I wanted to) show them that I've improved my transition game. I know that's one thing the Pacers are trying to do, get up and down a bit more, change their style of play."

On what he could bring to Indiana: "They’re just looking for some offensive versatility and I think I bring that to the table. Just my ability to shoot the ball from the outside, put the ball on the floor, and post up, I think that could help."

On posting up at the next level in addition to shooting the ball from outside: "That’s where my money’s going to be made at the next level. I know that for a fact. I’m comfortable down on the block. It’s something that I’ve shown more."

9:00 PM: Here's what Turner had to say about his potential when he worked out in Indy: "I think I'll become a great player. It's what I think of about every day, every night before I go to bed, you have to think about what you can be. I envision myself having success at this level. But it's not going to come without hard work."

Read More in Mark Montieth's story on Turner's workout. Read More »

8:48 PM: OFFICIAL — The Pacers have drafted Texas center Myles Turner with the 11th overall pick. Turner, a 6-11 big man, went pro after one season with the Longhorns, where he averaged 10.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. He's got a huge wingspan and figures to be a defensive force on the interior, but also has a really nice-looking shot for a player his size with potential to step out beyond the 3-point arc.

Here is my interview with Turner from his pre-draft workout: Watch Turner Interview »

8:42 PM: The Pacers are officially on the clock, as Miami takes Winslow with the 10th pick. It's time, folks.

8:37 PM: Frank Kaminsky is the first player who worked out for the Pacers to come off the board. The Hornets grab the National Player of the Year with the ninth overall pick. If you're still curious, here's our interview with Kaminsky: Watch Now »

8:30 PM: We're getting close! Mudiay goes seventh to Denver and Arizona wing Stanley Johnson goes eighth to Detroit. Duke's Justise Winslow surprisingly still on the board, as is everyone the Pacers brought in for a workout.

8:16 PM: Kentucky's Willie Cauley-Stein didn't work out for Indiana, but plenty of mock drafts had the Pacers taking him with the 11th pick. That's not happening, as Sacramento takes Mr. "Trill" at #6.

8:10 PM: A couple international players off the board at 4 and 5, with Kristaps Porzingis headed to New York and Mario Hezonja bound for Orlando. Point guard Emmanuel Mudiay is the surprise player to fall out of the top five.

7:54 PM: The "five minutes" between picks is lasting a little longer than five minutes. Philly takes Duke's Jahlil Okafor third overall. The Knicks are now on the clock, which is always an adventure.

7:45 PM: Mild surprise as the Lakers take Ohio State's D'Angelo Russell with the second pick. The draft has truly begun. It will be a few more picks before we see anyone who worked out for the Pacers come off the board.

7:38 PM: As expected, Minnesota takes Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns with the top overall pick. We're looking at 40-50 minutes before the Pacers' pick is announced.

7:10 PM: The Pacers brass is ready to go! Check out this photo from inside the Draft Room:

6:15 PM: We're less than an hour away. What kind of player can you typically expect at #11? Take a look at every 11th pick since 1980. 11th Picks Gallery »

5:30 PM: One important note for tonight's coverage — as team employees, the NBA will not allow us to comment on any reported trades until they are officially announced by the Commissioner. That mandate applies to everything posted on Pacers.com and the team's social media accounts. We won't report any trade until it is official.

5:10 PM: While you're anxiously awaiting Commissioner Silver stepping to the podium for the first time, be sure to check out our Draft Central page, which includes one-on-one video interviews with each of the 36 prospects who participated in a pre-draft workout at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

I have to say I was most impressed with the prospects who I spoke to during the pre-draft process. There's a lot of humble and intelligent kids in this year's draft class.

4:45 PM: Hello and welcome to your hub for all things Pacers on Draft Night 2015. We've got a large crew of staff spread across the country to give you the most comprehensive coverage you can find on what promises to be a big night for the Indiana Pacers. Whether it's on the ground at the 2015 NBA Draft in Brooklyn, back at the franchise's draft headquarters at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, or up at the 2015 Draft Party at Latitude 360, we've got you covered.

I'll be updating this page as much as possible throughout the night. So be sure to save a tab on your browser for us while you're monitoring the ESPN broadcast and frantically refreshing your Twitter feed. I can't tell you what's going to happen tonight, but I'm definitely excited to find out.