Make wishtv.com your home page

Pacers prepare for Summer League

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Coaches say great players are made in the offseason. Nate McMillan hopes this holds true for his four returners who will play in Orlando’s Summer League with the Pacers.

“It’s very important that these guys have a good summer. We want them to, as I’ve said to them, we want them to send a message to us and the front office that they’re ready to go and they’re ready to be a rotational player,” McMillan said.

With assistant coach Popeye Jones in charge, Shayne Whittington, Glenn Robinson III, Joe Young and Rakeem Christmas bring experience to the blue and gold’s 14-man roster, meaning Larry Bird and company expect these veterans to step up and lead this squad to Summer League championship.

“I have to go out there and really show what I learned this year. I have a lot of things to show, really getting my teammates involved, and really bring this team together, and try to bring the championship back,” Young explained.

While you won’t see many big names during Summer League, the purpose is to develop young talent, help get them adjusted to the pros and ultimately build team chemistry.

“Development is a big key,” McMillan said. “We want our guys to improve, and we feel like that preparation they get before taking the floor should help us out. We want players that can play on both ends of the floor.”

“We want to see if they can bring defensive pressure, see if they can guard their position and hold that position down themselves,” Jones said. “And offensively we want to see if they can play fast, get the ball up the court — we want to attack.”

Summer League runs through July 8.