INDIANAPOLIS — A day removed from the NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers welcomed their two newest additions to Indianapolis.
Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard received a warm welcome at the Ascension St. Vincent Center Friday as they officially began their journeys with the Pacers franchise.
"These are two guys we had targeted a long, long time ago. To walk away with both of them felt like a huge, huge victory for us," said Pacers GM Chad Buchanan said.
Walker was selected with the 8th pick by the Washington Wizards on behalf of the Pacers after the two teams swapped picks in the first round. The Pacers additionally received two future second round picks. The 19 year old spent one season with the Houston Cougars, averaging 11.2 points per game while being named the American Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year as well as second team All-AAC.
Walker fills a need for the Pacers both positionally and defensively. The 6 foot 8 inch, 240 pound force on the court says it was the vibe he got from the Pacers organization that had him hoping this is where he would be drafted.
"It's literally perfect. It's all I could have asked for, being in a position to impact winning right away, state my name in the league, be able to find some minutes early and implement myself, get confidence and be able to grow and develop in such an awesome organization. It was the perfect draft night for me," Walker said.
"I feel like this team is right where we need to be. I feel like we have all the pieces now. I feel like I can come in ready to go, ready to contribute. I feel like that's what I bring to this team, just a player who has played in high level games and high level moments," he added
"Jarace is a guy who we feel can guard multiple players, multiple positions. He views himself as a defender first which is great for what our team needs," Buchanan said. "We were very attracted to what he can bring to our group. He's a guy who can get better and better over time and I think he's going to fit in very well with our group."
Ben Sheppard was selected with the 26th overall pick in the first round. Buchanan says his continual improvement in college comes as no surprise of the Pacers organization.
"Ben is a guy who our scouting staff has been pounding the table on for two years. He moves without the ball, knows how to play without the ball and a high-level shooter. Both of these guys' character and personality are going to be great fits for our locker room," Buchanan said.
Sheppard averaged 18.2 points per game his senior season at Belmont University while being named first team All-Missouri Valley Conference, a "three and D" type of player, adding much-needed depth to this team.
Sheppard noted the optimism he felt when he worked out for the Pacers during the pre-draft process.
"The positive energy and the family atmosphere. The family vibe that this organization brings. There's a lot of organizations that aren't like that," Sheppard explained. "It's definitely trending in the right way. This young core has a lot to prove. I'm just excited to be along for the ride and do everything I can to help support players like Tyrese [Haliburton] reach their maximum potential and just do whatever I can to help those guys."
They are two players the Pacers wanted and got on draft night. Head Coach Rick Carlisle says they're the exact pieces this franchise was after.
"They both have an infectious spirit when they play. They love the game of basketball. These are the guys who we really wanted most with these two picks and it's gratifying to see it get done," Carlisle said.
Sheppard and Walker are joined by Pacers second round picks Mojave King (New Zealand) and Isaiah Wong (Miami) as new additions to Indianapolis.
