Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard complete second G League assignment

INDIANAPOLIS — On Tuesday night, Indiana Pacers 2023 first-round draft picks Ben Sheppard and Jarace Walker played in the G League for the second time of the 2023-24 campaign. They both made their debut for the Indiana Mad Ants last week.

The Pacers and Mad Ants have an ideal setup this season from a basketball perspective. They both are practicing and playing games in the same arena, which makes G League assignments easy — Walker and Sheppard don't have to travel at all to get some additional playing time and reps. Instead, they can simply walk across the street and get more opportunities.

The Mad Ants hosted the Windy City Bulls on Tuesday night in Indianapolis. Both Walker and Sheppard played throughout the entire game — last time, Sheppard only played in the first half since the Pacers had a game later in the same day.

Walker was largely deployed as a ball handler, and that's something Sheppard did often in his first outing as well. They are both getting on-ball reps with the G League club, which will be valuable for their skill development. Neither player projects to be a creator in the NBA in the near future, but skill growth is important for the youngsters.

So is conditioning, and that's something vital about these games. They give Walker and Sheppard a chance to stay in game shape and be ready if an opportunity comes in the pros. "It was fun," Walker said of his second G League game. On top of conditioning, he is trying to focus on making the right decisions and taking the right shots.

It's clear that the eighth overall pick is more comfortable taking shots off the dribble than in catch-and-shoot situations right now. He's worked hard on his jumper this season during practices with the Pacers.

"It felt good. It's just game reps," Walker said of his play on Tuesday. He thought that the Mad Ants played a better overall team game, and he felt the progress with his jumper. The rookie forward went 2/5 from long range during the outing.

By the end of the night, Walker had amassed 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, and two steals. He's scored 50 points in his two games with the Mad Ants so far.

Many of his Pacers teammates — at least half of the roster — showed up to watch Walker and Sheppard. The two have a relationship that Walker says is growing every day.

Sheppard concluded the action with 18 points, nine rebounds, and four assists. He's looked very comfortable in both of his G League performances so far and has seven appearances in the NBA this season.

For both players, the reps and conditioning are important. They need to understand the rigors of the pro level compared to the NCAA ranks, so hitting the hardwood for game action as much as possible is beneficial. They also can apply what they are tasked with working on in practice, something they can't do as often in the NBA due to their limited playing time.

"Just being able to come out here and show what I can do," Walker said of the value of the G League outings. He and Sheppard were recalled back to the Pacers ahead of the team's practice on Wednesday and are headed down to Miami as the team is set to take on the Heat twice in the next three days.