The Indiana Pacers have made a significant decision regarding rookie Johnny Furphy’s role for the remainder of the season. At the beginning of the season, the Pacers faced a challenging situation due to injuries, forcing them to rely on several unexpected players.
Early on, the team lost key players like Isaiah Jackson and James Wiseman for the season within the first two games. Aaron Nesmith was sidelined for 35 games after just six games, and Andrew Nembhard missed a month following the first nine games.
As a result, some players who weren’t expected to get much playing time, including rookies and those on two-way contracts, were thrust into action. Furphy, a second-round pick, was initially anticipated to spend most of the season in the G League, playing around 40 games. However, due to the team’s shortage of players, he ended up seeing meaningful minutes in real games for the Pacers.
Although Furphy struggled with shooting, he wasn’t afraid to take shots, which was something the Pacers valued. Now, with the team’s health improving, the Pacers have made the decision to send Furphy back to the G League for the rest of the season. This move will allow him to get consistent playing time and continue developing without the pressure of mistakes affecting the team.
Furphy had initially been expected to spend the majority of his time in the G League, and so far, he has played in seven games with the Mad Ants. However, he has already appeared in 35 games with the Pacers, with many of those minutes coming during blowouts as the team got healthier.
Now that the Pacers are more fully staffed, Furphy’s services are no longer required at the NBA level. The team hopes he can develop into a reliable rotation player in the future. They are particularly interested in his potential to contribute with three-point shooting off the bench, but for that to happen, he needs to become more consistent.
In his 35 games with the Pacers, Furphy has averaged 1.8 points, 1.1 rebounds, and 0.3 assists per game.
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