Losers
Tamin Lipsey
A defensive standout at Iowa State, Tamin Lipsey had the chance to impress and earn a spot with Indiana as another potential future replacement for T.J. McConnell. Yet another undersized guard, Lipsey was a stronger defender than Kawamura or Smith; however, he struggled during Summer League.
Lipsey started the summer with the first unit, but he stalled offensively and did not make the most of his opportunities. He averaged 3.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, and an assist during his time with the Pacers Summer League team. He quickly saw his minutes disappear after being a non-factor in the two games he played.
Lipsey was still able to guard opponents well; however, his ineffectiveness on offense created uncertainty about his future. Lipsey could remain with the Pacers’ G League team next season, but his performance this summer was poor, with several teammates outshining him.
Taelon Peter
Similarly to Jalen Slawson, Taelon Peter was one of the few players on the Pacers Summer League team with prior NBA experience. Peter averaged 12.9 minutes over 38 games for the Pacers this past season. In Summer League, the guard averaged 10.4 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists.
Peter was a reliable scorer for Indiana; however, he did not impress much outside of that. He had a decent shot at making the Pacers’ roster by already being with them last year. His stats were not the worst, yet other players made more out of their opportunities instead, weakening Peter’s chances to earn another contract with Indiana.
Braden Smith
It may be somewhat shocking that the Pacers’ second-round pick ends up as a loser after Summer League. However, Braden Smith underwhelmed as a scorer. He stood out when it came to assists — finishing fourth in that category — but he had a rough time shooting. Smith averaged 6.8 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.0 assists through Summer League, shooting a horrific 26.5%.
Indiana saw Smith as another McConnell replacement, thanks in large part to his playmaking. Smith was a high-level passer in college, being the all-time NCAA career assist leader, and those skills translated to Summer League. The issue is that a good floor general needs to be a consistent scoring option, and the Pacers will need Smith to improve in that realm if he wants to succeed in the NBA.
Smith tried to do too much with the ball and forced many shots that did not fall. Because of this, his Summer League performance was tainted compared to his expectations, especially considering Indiana traded into the draft to select him. Just because Smith was a loser in the Pacers Summer League does not mean the rest of his future is bleak. Indiana hasn’t given up on their second-round pick, and he could easily develop while on his current two-way contract.
In 5 games of Summer League action, Braden Smith —the Indiana Pacers No. 38 overall pick—finished with a total of 34 points on 9-34 shooting, 35 assists, and 14 turnovers.
6.8 ppg
7.0 apg
2.8 topg26.5% shooting pic.twitter.com/RYGIGFpSe6
— Alex Golden (@AlexGoldenNBA) July 19, 2026
© Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images
