2023 NBA Draft Features

Wheat Hotchkiss

Pacers first round picks Jarace Walker & Ben Sheppard, as well as head coach Rick Carlisle and general manager Chad Buchanan speak to the media following the 2023 NBA Draft.

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Indiana Pacers: Jarace Walker And Ben Sheppard Introductory Press Conference (June 23, 2023)

Scouting the NBA Draft is a multi-year process and every prospect has their own unique journey to the league. Teams track a player's progress for years before ultimately picking them on draft night. There are so many unseen moments, games, and interactions along the way that play a part in a front office coming to the conclusion that "This is our guy."

The Pacers have been tracking Jarace Walker since he was a decorated high school recruit at IMG Academy and through his freshman season at the University of Houston. But it was his visit to Indiana weeks ago where he really formed a connection with the franchise, bonding with head coach Rick Carlisle over Italian food and jazz and then impressing in a pre-draft workout.

When Indiana scouts first noticed Ben Sheppard at the 2020 Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, no one would have guessed that he would be an NBA draft pick. He was wrapping up a freshman season where he came off the bench and averaged 2.9 points per game. But with steady improvement over the next three years, Sheppard ultimately grew into a first round pick.

Their journeys couldn't be more different, but both Walker and Sheppard are now Pacers rookies. Indiana acquired Walker, who went eighth overall in last night's draft, in a trade to be finalized later. The Blue & Gold then selected Sheppard with the 26th overall pick, adding two more talented young pieces to an up-and-coming Indiana team.

They may have taken different paths to this point, but Walker and Sheppard share several qualities that are priorities for the Pacers: playmaking, defensive focus, and versatility, as well as high character.

"These were two guys we had targeted a long, long time ago," Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said at Walker and Sheppard's introductory press conference on Friday afternoon at the Ascension St. Vincent Center. "And to walk away with both of them last night felt like a huge, huge victory for us."

Walker's selection was likely confusing for Pacers fans that weren't following closely along on NBA Twitter on Thursday night. Indiana had the seventh overall pick and Walker seemed like a strong possibility for the Pacers when they went on the clock, but Indiana wound up selecting French guard Bilal Coulibaly.

Washington, picking next, then took Walker. But the Wizards were actually making the pick for the Pacers and Indiana had taken Coulibaly for the Wizards. A short while later, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced  that the two teams had agreed in principle to a trade to swap picks, with Indiana picking up future compensation in a deal to be finalized at a later date.

So while Walker briefly wore a Wizards hat, he was really a Pacer all along, which is exactly what he wanted.

It's hard to find a better fit for Walker than Indiana. The Pacers entered the offseason looking to make upgrades defensively, where they ranked 26th out of 30 teams last season in defensive rating, and to add talent at the power forward position, the one spot that they didn't have a true fit last year, often deploying undersized wings like Aaron Nesmith at the position.

Enter Walker, a physical specimen at 6-8, 240 pounds that Buchanan said Friday "looks like a linebacker" and was a valuable part of a top-five ranked defense as a true freshman at Houston.

"Jarace is a player we feel can guard multiple players, multiple positions," Buchanan said. "Very defensive-minded. As we got to know him in the pre-draft process, I think that's where he views himself, as a defender first, which is a great trait for what our team needs."

When Walker visited for an individual workout on June 7, the Pacers put his defense to the test, tasking him with guarding player development coach Jannero Pargo. Pargo is 43 now, but the 6-1 guard is an 11-year NBA veteran and still has plenty of game, creating quite the challenge for a bigger player like Walker to stick with him one-on-one.

Walker held his own with Pargo, in what Buchanan called "the sealer" in realizing that he was the right fit for the Pacers.

"I'm sure Jarace wanted to punch him by the end of the workout, but you saw his competitive juices come out," Buchanan said. "And I think at that point, we were like, 'This is our guy.'"

The night before that workout, Walker went out to dinner with Carlisle, assistant general manager Kelly Krauskopf, and Vice President of Basketball Operations Ted Wu. They took Walker to Iaria's, then Carlisle drove him back to the team facility to give him a tour. Walker said on Friday that they quickly developed a rapport, listening to jazz in the car as they drove around the city.

"Me and coach were kicking it for a little bit," Walker said. "So just the connection we kind of built in such a little time, I just felt like it was definitely the right city and the right place for me."

Walker is just 19 years old, but should fit right in with a talented young Pacers team that features 23-year-old All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton and 21-year-old Bennedict Mathurin, a first-team All-Rookie selection last season. Walker could slot right in at power forward and provide a nice defensive compliment in the front court to center Myles Turner, one of the league's top rim protectors, while also adding different dimensions to what is already one of the NBA's best offenses.

Walker was the American Athletic Conference's Freshman of the Year last season, averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on one of the best teams in the NCAA.

"I feel like we have a fast-paced team, get up and down the floor," Walker said. "High IQ guys, a lot of shot-makers. Obviously we've got great rim protectors in Myles (Turner) and Stix (Jalen Smith).

"I feel like we have a bunch of pieces. I feel like what I bring to the table is exactly what this team was missing. Just an extra defender, extra rebounder, extra shot creator. Just somebody that brings a little bit of everything to the table."

Walker isn't wasting any time getting ready for his rookie season. Carlisle revealed that Buchanan texted him Friday morning saying that Walker had asked if he could work out in the afternoon after his press conference.

"I think we can oblige you on that," Carlisle quipped.

Sheppard visited Indiana for his own pre-draft workout the day after Walker. He competed in a group workout that included decorated college guards like Kansas State's Markquis Nowell, UCLA's Tyger Campbell, and Kansas' Jalen Wilson.

Sheppard may have played in more obscurity at Belmont, but he developed into a true NBA prospect over the past three years. He took on a larger role each year, becoming a starter and averaging 10.5 points as a sophomore, taking on a primary scoring role and averaging 16.2 points as a junior, and then enjoying his best year as a senior, when he averaged 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists.

The 6-6 wing is an outstanding shooter who grew more efficient even as his role increased each season. He shot 27.9 percent from 3-point range as a freshman, 32.8 percent as a sophomore, 37.1 percent as a junior, and 41.5 percent as a senior.

The 21-year-old Sheppard is a versatile player who can play either wing position and even handled the point at times in college. The combination of his shooting prowess and his ability to guard multiple positions have had Pacers scouts "pounding the table on (Sheppard) for two years" according to Buchanan.

"He's kind of a little off the radar maybe to some people, but he's a player that's got better and better with each year at Belmont," Buchanan said. "A guy that just moves without the ball, knows how to play without the ball, is a high-level shooter."

Like Walker, Sheppard said he felt an instant connection during his pre-draft visit with the Pacers. When he got the call that he was headed to Indiana, it felt like it was meant to be.

"It's still surreal," Sheppard said. "It still hasn't really hit me yet. But throughout this whole process, I just tried to prove myself in any workout and whenever there was eyes on me. I knew in my workout with Indiana that this is an organization that I'd love to play for."

Culturally, Sheppard and Walker both seem like ideal fits in an already tight-knit Pacers locker room. Haliburton's energetic personality and overt love for the game have set the foundation there and Walker -- with his mention of "good vibes" -- and Sheppard -- with a million-watt grin that was voted "Best Smile" in his high school yearbook -- are seemingly solid additions.

"They just have an infectious spirit when they play," Carlisle said. "...(These are) the kind of players that we're adding to this organization. Guys that love the game, that play the game with a pure heart, with an infectious spirit, and that are versatile and just have fun playing the game of basketball."

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Walker, Sheppard Ideal Fits in Indiana, On the Court and Off

The Pacers introduced two of their newest players on Friday afternoon in a press conference at the Ascension St. Vincent Center, when Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard spoke to the Indianapolis media.

You can watch the press conference in the video player above.

Walker, a 19-year-old forward out of the University of Houston, was drafted with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Sheppard, a 21-year-old guard, was taken with 26th overall.

Walker and Sheppard were joined for the press conference by Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan and head coach Rick Carlisle.

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Watch Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard's Introductory Press Conference

PACERS ALSO SELECT BEN SHEPPARD WITH&nbsp;THE&nbsp;26TH&nbsp;OVERALL PICK AND ISAIAH WONG WITH&nbsp;THE&nbsp;55TH&nbsp;OVERALL PICK; ACQUIRE DRAFT RIGHTS TO MOJAVE KING

 INDIANAPOLIS – The Indiana Pacers agreed in principle to acquire the draft rights to forward Jarace (JARE-us) Walker, the 8th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, as part of a trade to be finalized later that involves the Washington Wizards.

While at the University of Houston, Walker was named the AAC Rookie of the Year and was voted to the All-AAC Second Team after averaging 11.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.3 blocks per game on 47% shooting from the floor.&nbsp;

Additionally, the Pacers selected&nbsp;guard&nbsp;Ben Sheppard with the 26th&nbsp;overall pick and&nbsp;guard&nbsp;Isaiah Wong with the 55th&nbsp;overall pick.&nbsp;In a separate trade, the Indiana Pacers also acquired the draft rights to guard Mojave King, the 47th&nbsp;overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.&nbsp;

Sheppard completed his career at Belmont with back-to-back All-MVC First Team honors after averaging 18.8 points on 48% shooting from the field and 42% from three-point range during his senior season. Wong, the ACC Player of the Year, led the University of Miami in scoring at 16.2 points per game while leading the Hurricanes to their first ever Final Four appearance.&nbsp;&nbsp;King, a New Zealand native, played in 30 games with the G League Ignite and averaged 25.1 minutes per game, 8.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.2 assists while shooting 41.3 percent from the floor.

Walker will wear #1 and Sheppard will wear #26 with the Pacers.

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Indiana Pacers Agree in Principle to Acquire Draft Rights to Jarace Walker

Jordan Morey

As it turned out, Jarace Walker’s first pre-draft workout was the most consequential.The University of Houston forward visited the Indiana Pacers on June 7 for an individual session to meet with the franchise ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. During his time in the Circle City, Walker impressed both on and off the court; propelling himself to the top of the organization’s list leading up to draft day.As the picks fell into place on Thursday night in New York City, the Pacers got the man they wanted by the time they were on the board. In a trade still to be finalized, Indiana agreed in principle to acquire Walker after swapping the seventh overall pick, Bilal Coulibaly of France, to the Washington Wizards for Walker at eighth.

“I was super excited,” Walker said. “Just to know where I’m going, just to take that deep breath. The butterflies let loose. I was definitely happy.”

This summer, the Pacers worked out 62 different players in Indianapolis leading up to the draft. From the start, a special connection formed between the 19-year-old from Baltimore and the Pacers staff.

“It was my first visit, but I feel like it was one of my better ones for sure,” Walker said. “Just being able to show them my versatility, what I could bring to them immediately, just having an immediate impact, ready to go from the jump. I definitely felt like it could be a good fit."&nbsp;

The American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and All-AAC Second Team member averaged 11.2 points per game on 46.5 percent shooting (34.7 percent 3-point range), 6.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. Walker is the first Houston player to be selected in the top 10 since Hakeem Olajuwon went first overall in 1984.

In his lone season at Houston, Walker helped lead the Cougars to a 33-4 record which included an AAC regular season championship and helping UH to the Sweet 16.

Walker, 6-foot-8 and 248 pounds, showed advanced defensive skills and versatility during his time with the Cougars. Thanks to his physical attributes, which includes a 7-3 wingspan, Walker has the ability to play at both the power forward position or as center in a small-ball lineup, and switch onto guards as needed. He also has a 38-inch vertical, the second-best mark of any big man who took part in testing before the draft.

Already considered a high-level shotblocker, Walker will get to work with veteran center Myles Turner, who has the second-most blocks in Pacers franchise history and has led the league in swats twice.&nbsp;

Walker could make an immediate impact on the Pacers’ defense. On the defensive end, the Pacers ranked 29th in opponent points of second chances and were 26th in defensive rating, according to NBA.com.

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Jarace Walker Media Availability (June 22, 2023) | Indiana Pacers

On offense, Walker has been praised for his playmaking ability – especially in transition – offensive rebounding and midrange game. He will benefit from the playmaking ability – including in the pick and roll – with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton.“I feel like I definitely fit in with the group, just being able to defend multiple positions, keep the ball in front of me, protect the rim, play passing lanes, get steals,” Walker said.

Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle said Walker has the chance to be a “special” player at the four with the skills he’s bringing to Indiana.“He’s a guy that’s almost impossible not to like when you watch him play," Carlisle said. "His defense is very very good, his rebounding is very good; those are areas where we need to improve. He played in a great system at the University of Houston for Kelvin Sampson … whose teams are always known for hard, unselfish play.”

During pre-draft interviews, Walker said he felt like he wanted to continue improving on his outside shot, and felt like he would fit in “perfect” with the Pacers thanks to his size and playing style.

“In a league where defensive versatility (and) the ability to switch and contain is so important, we believe he can do that,” Carlisle said. “And then offensively, there’s a chance here that he could really evolve into a special kind of four man in this league. A guy that can rebound it and take it coast to coast and make plays and finish at the rim and do all that stuff."

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Rick Carlisle Media Availability (June 22, 2023) | Indiana Pacers

With the 26th overall pick, the Pacers selected wing Ben Sheppard from Belmont University.In his senior season, Sheppard, 21, averaged 18.8 points per game on 47.5 percent shooting (41.5 percent 3-point), 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game. Sheppard was First Team All-Ohio Valley Conference as a senior and First Team All-Mountain Valley Conference in his junior season.

The Atlanta&nbsp;native is listed at 6-6 and 190 pounds, is a highly efficient shooter from both close and long range, and was a three-year starter at Belmont and a finalist for the Lou Henson National Player of the Year Award in 2023 which is given to the most outstanding mid-major college basketball player. He is only the third player from Belmont ever drafted to the NBA.

Since the end of his final collegiate season, Sheppard boosted his stock with a strong showing at the NBA Draft Combine. In the first game of the draft combine, Sheppard led all scorers with 25 points (8-for-10 shooting) in his final scrimmage in Chicago.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Ben Sheppard One-on-One Interview (June 8, 2023)

Sheppard came to Indianapolis on June 8 and worked out for the Pacers, and Carlisle said that during his workout the prospect “showed out” on both ends of the floor.

“He’s a unique prospect in that he has length, he has quickness, he has really good ball skills,” Carlisle said. “It appears to me that he could play some point guard in a pinch, but his natural position is two and three. But that kind of versatility is very important in today’s game.”

Carlisle has high hopes for both first round picks.&nbsp;

"These are the kind of guys we want to build this roster and this organization with, so we're really thrilled with the first round,” he said.

Indiana finished 11th in the Eastern Conference last season with a record of 35-47, missing the postseason for a second straight season. The Pacers last made the Play-In Tournament in 2021 and haven’t earned a playoffs berth since finishing fourth in the East 2020.

Concluding the night’s picks for Indiana, the Pacers selected University of Miami guard Isaiah Wong with the 55th overall pick.

After earning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year honors, the fourth-year junior made headlines in March by helping lead the Hurricanes to the program’s first Final Four.

In his final season at Miami, Wong played in 37 total games and averaged 16.2 points on 44.5 percent shooting (38.4 percent 3-point), 83 percent from the free throw line, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists per game. The high-scoring guard with a motor worked out for the Pacers on May 31.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Isaiah Wong One-on-One Interview (May 31, 2023)

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Pacers Add Jarace Walker, Ben Sheppard in 2023 NBA Draft

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Pacers 2023 Mock Draft Projections 5.0

The Pacers officially wrapped up their pre-draft workouts on Monday at the Ascension St. Vincent Center with a two-player workout featuring Pepperdine's Maxwell Lewis and Dayton's Toumani Camara.

The Blue & Gold have been as busy as ever leading up to Thursday night's 2023 NBA Draft. Indiana currently has five picks in this year's draft, including three in the first round.

Monday's workout was the 16th the Pacers have conducted leading up to the draft. The team has brought 62 different players into Indianapolis for those workouts. They held one six-player workout on May 12 before the NBA Draft Combine, but the remaining 15 workouts have taken place over the last three weeks.

"With the number of picks, it's an awesome opportunity to get way more guys in, get to know them," Pacers Vice President of Player Personnel Ryan Carr said about Indiana's busy workout schedule. "...It's been a lot of fun. Just a lot of good kids, getting to know (them) on the court, off the court, spend a lot of time with them."

One of the players Indiana spent some time with on Monday was Lewis, a 6-7 wing who turned pro after a strong sophomore season at Pepperdine. Lewis averaged 17.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.8 assists last season for the Waves, where he was a second-team All-West Coast Conference selection.

Lewis scored 20 or more points in 13 games last season, including seven straight contests from Dec. 19 - Jan. 7. Included in that stretch was a 20-point, five-rebound, five-assist outing at Gonzaga and a 30-point, 14-rebound double-double against Pacific.

Lewis is a lengthy wing (his wingspan measured at 7 feet at the combine) and a good athlete (36.5-inch vertical). He excels in transition and also has a reputation as a strong shooter.

The 20-year-old Lewis converted 35.4 percent of his 3-point attempts in college. He was shooting 41 percent from three in late January before closing the season in a 7-for-37 slump from beyond the arc.

With his length and athleticism, he has all the tools to develop into the ideal "3-and-D" wing that teams are always looking for in the draft.

"I make shots off the dribble, catch-and-shoot," Lewis said Monday when asked to describe his game. "I'm really athletic. Maybe I might do a one-foot windmill every now and then on the fastbreak. And I like to play defense. Do a little bit of everything."

Lewis said he studies long and athletic shotmakers like former Pacer Paul George, Mikal Bridges, and Rudy Gay and hopes to impact the game on both ends like those players at the next level.

Since turning pro, Lewis has been focused on getting his body ready for the more physical demands of the pro game. He said he has put on 12-13 pounds since he was in college by expanding his daily regimen to include four meals and two protein shakes. Lewis was listed at 195 pounds in college but weighed in at 207 at the combine.

Because he played at Pepperdine in relative anonymity in the WCC (aside from Lewis, the Waves didn't make many waves this season, going 9-22 and finishing in last place in the conference), Lewis feels like he has more to prove during the pre-draft process.

"Just thinking about a lot of Power Five guys that went to Kentucky, Arkansas, those guys looking at me like, 'Oh, this guy's from (a) mid-major,'" Lewis said. "I for sure have got a chip on my shoulder. I've got a lot to prove still. They say it's easy to get to the league, it's hard to stay. Just keeping a chip on my shoulder and just working, staying in the gym."

For what it's worth, the WCC has started to produce NBA talent from programs outside of Gonzaga. Jalen Williams out of Santa Clara went to Gonzaga with the 12th overall pick last season and finished as runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting. This year, both Lewis and Santa Clara guard Brandin Podziemski are considered potential first-round picks.

Lewis' projected range in the draft happens to fall right where the Pacers have several picks. ESPN currently has him ranked 31st on its draft board. Indiana owns the 26th, 29th, and 32nd overall selections.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Maxwell Lewis One-on-One Interview (June 19, 2023)

In Monday's workout, Lewis went head-to-head with Camara, a 6-8 forward back for his second workout in Indiana. Camara previously worked out for the Pacers on June 2 as part of a six-player workout.

For his part, Camara was impressed with Lewis' game.

"Really big frame, long arms and really athletic," he said. "He shoots the ball really well. I think he's got a lot of upside. I feel like his game is not fully developed, he's got a (lot of potential)."

Camara is a 6-8, 220-pound forward from Belgium who spent two years at Georgia playing for Tom Crean before transferring to Dayton. He spent the last two years with the Flyers and was named to both the All-Atlantic 10 first team and the A-10 All-Defensive team last season, when he averaged 13.9 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 1.2 steals.

Camara led the conference in rebounding and recorded seven double-doubles on the season. He had some monster performances in the Atlantic-10 Tournament, including a 17-point, 18-rebound, four-steal performance in a quarterfinal win over St. Joseph's and a 28-point (on 12-of-13 shooting), seven-board outing in a semifinal victory over Fordham.

He was the only player this year that the Pacers elected to bring back for a second workout, an infrequent occurrence but something that does happen on occasion.

"It's a dream," Camara said of being back in Indiana for the second time in a matter of weeks. "Being able to get invited at least one time it's already a good feeling. I've been dreaming about this since I'm seven. I can't imagine a better situation to get invited a second time.

"I'm thinking it means that I did a good job the first time. They want to see me a little more, analyze my game a little bit. I take a lot of pride (in) that."

Some of the feedback Camara received from his first workout was to stay committed defensively, so he focused heavily on that end in Monday's workout with Lewis.

Camara has been particularly busy over the past month. Monday was his 17th workout with an NBA team. The Pacers were actually the second team to bring him back for a second workout, as he also had two workouts with Boston.

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Toumani Camara One-on-One Interview (June 2, 2023)

As the Pacers now turn their focus to draft night, they have an array of potential paths they could go down. Indiana currently has 12 players under contract for next season, leaving only three open spots on its 15 man roster, plus three two-way contracts.

Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard said at his postseason press conference and again after the lottery that he doesn't necessarily envision adding five rookies to an already young Indiana roster, but it's nearly impossible to forecast in advance how draft night will unfold.

"The more options, the better," Carr said Monday. "The more picks, the more things you can do with it, more opportunities...There's going to be good players at each of those picks. We're excited if it goes that way.

"If other things come up and that's the best interest of building this team, then I'm sure Kevin and (general manager) Chad (Buchanan), that's what they'll do."

The Pacers' top pick in this year's draft is the seventh overall selection. If the Blue & Gold keep the pick, it will be their second-highest pick since 1989. The only time Indiana has picked higher over that span is last season, when the Pacers drafted Bennedict Mathurin sixth overall.

That choice worked out well for Indiana, as Mathurin finished second among all rookies in scoring and was the first Pacer to be named to the All-Rookie first team since Rik Smits in 1988-89.

"The one thing about Benn is he wants to be great...That really was apparent from the first time that we ever talked to him," Carr said. "He is determined to be as great as he can be. We want players that want to be like that.

"Last year was the highest pick that we had in a long time and this year is just one pick behind it and we want another player that wants to be great. We go into this looking at these lottery picks (thinking) they need to be big pieces for us. They need to be great players for us and that's what we're looking for."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Ryan Carr Media Availability (June 19, 2023)

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Pacers Wrap Up Busy Workout Schedule, Turn Attention to Draft Night

You can never have enough shooting in today's NBA. Gradey Dick — a 6-8 guard out of Kansas who worked out for the Pacers on Thursday — is arguably the best shooter in this year's draft class.

The 19-year-old wing was a decorated player in high school, where he was a McDonald's All-American and a two-time Kansas Gatorade Player of the Year. He lived up to the hype in his lone collegiate season.

Dick played a major role in the Jayhawks capturing the 2022-23 Big 12 regular season title. The freshman finished second on the team in scoring (14.1 points per game), third in rebounding (5.1), and third in steals (1.4).

But most importantly, he was extremely efficient, shooting 40.3 percent from 3-point range on nearly six attempts per game and 85.4 percent from the free throw line. He set a school record for most 3-pointers made by a freshman (83) and was named to the All-Big 12 second team as well as the conference's All-Freshman Team.

His consistency as a freshman playing for a high-profile program with high expectations bodes well for his transition to the NBA. Dick has ideal shooting form — a high and quick release that makes it difficult to block or contest — and should be able to plug in right away as a floor-spacing 3-point threat in the pro game.

Shooting is Dick's bread and butter, so it's only natural that he studies the best shooters in NBA history. Even though he wasn't born until 2003, Dick still has spent plenty of time watching tape of Pacers Hall of Famer Reggie Miller, who was the first player he named at last month's NBA Draft Combine when asked which players he models his game after.

"I think one of the most underrated parts of (his game) — guys like him, Steph Curry — is their conditioning," Dick said on Thursday following his workout at the Ascension St. Vincent Center. "Everyone just sees them making shots, but it's the stuff (that) a lot of people don't really look too close into, just the way they're running up and down the court non-stop, exhausting the defense and being exhausted themselves but still being able to get shots open and make them at crunch time."

Because of his shooting prowess, Dick is a projected lottery pick. He has been doing solo pre-draft workouts with several teams picking in the lottery, including the Pacers, who have the seventh overall pick in this year's draft, which will be held next Thursday (June 22) at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

His shooting alone should allow Dick to enjoy a long career in the NBA. An apt comparison might be Kyle Korver, another highly efficient shooter with similar size and a quick release. Korver spent 17 seasons in the NBA and still ranks fifth in league history with 2,450 career made threes.

But teams will want to know what else Dick is capable of doing at the next level. He works best off the ball and likely won't be a primary ball-handler. And because he's not an explosive athlete who measures off the charts, there are questions about how well he will be able to hold up defensively against NBA wings.

Dick said on Thursday that he knows his role is going to primarily be to do what he does best and space the floor, but that he also believes he is capable of making other contributions on the offensive end.

Because the NBA game is built more around spacing and there is a defensive three seconds penalty that prevents players from camping out in the lane like they can in college, Dick actually believes he can be more effective getting to the rim than he was in college. His shooting is such a threat that he should be able to get overeager defenders to bite on occasional pump-fakes or slip by them with a backdoor cut.

Defensively, Dick maintains he will be able to hold up on that end. He did force nearly a steal and a half per game in college and showed off some speed at the combine, where he tied for the fastest time in the shuttle run at 2.98 seconds.

"Just letting my length work for me," Dick said of the keys to being successful on defense. "I have a pretty lengthy wingspan at my size. I think that will help me just being active on the defensive end.

"A big part of that more than anything else is just the mindset to want to go out and play defense. I feel like I have that. I want to go and take any challenge head on. I'm not going to shy away from anything."

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Indiana Pacers Pre-Draft Workouts: Gradey Dick One-on-One Interview (June 15, 2023)

Dick is a competitor, someone who is going to work his tail off to get open looks on offense and stick with his man on defense. But just as importantly, he is keenly aware of his strengths and what role he'll be asked to play. He made it clear on Thursday that he is a player who is going to “not try to be anything that he's not."

Dick's mother, Carmen, had quite the basketball career herself. She averaged 40 points per game as a senior in high school and went on to score over 1,000 career points at Iowa State. Dick credits his mom for teaching him his high release at a young age, though he's also quick to point out that she was a post player who never attempted a three so he has the deeper range.

Dick's draft range is wide enough that he could end up in a number of different settings. As a shooter, though, there aren't many better fits than Indiana, which he called "super intriguing" in large part because of the Pacers' resident All-Star, Tyrese Haliburton.

The 23-year-old Haliburton finished second in the NBA in assists last season, averaging a franchise-record 10.4 per game. The Blue & Gold's sharpshooters benefitted greatly from playing alongside Haliburton. Buddy Hield shattered the franchise record with 288 3-pointers and six Pacers (including Haliburton himself) made 90 or more threes.

"You've got a point guard (that's) one of the best point guards in the league with Tyrese," Dick said. "My play style, I play best where I can kind of play off point guards (like I did) back at Kansas with Dajuan (Harris Jr.)...You put a point guard like that with me, I feel like it can be a fun way to play for sure."

Dick does have a tie already to the current Pacers, as he attended Sunrise Christian Academy with Kendall Brown, who just finished his rookie season in Indiana on a two-way contract (Hield is also a Sunrise Christian alum). Dick met up with Brown after arriving in Indianapolis on Wednesday and the two teammates caught up and went to a movie theater to see "The Boogeyman."

Dick also had dinner on Wednesday night with Pacers President of Basketball Operations Kevin Pritchard, a fellow Jayhawk who was on Kansas' 1988 national championship team.

Kansas was always the dream school for Dick, who grew up in Wichita, but he's also had another dream on his mind: making it to the NBA. In just one week, that dream is going to come true.

Dick is still struggling to wrap his head around that.

"I've been thinking about this moment since I first started playing basketball," he said. "It's been the dream since day one. It's hard to say (what it will feel like). It's going to be just raw emotions that come out. I'm looking forward to it."