INDIANAPOLIS -- The new-look Indiana Pacers are filled with lots of young talent. The Pacers oldest player, Monta Ellis, is only 30. With all of this young talent, it will be interesting to see how the three Pacer rookies (Young, Turner, and Christmas) develop this season.
The Pacers have three very talented rookies on their roster. Joseph Young and Myles Turner performed very well in the Orlando Summer League. Rakeem Christmas did not perform as well in the Las Vegas Summer League as Turner and Young did in the Orlando Summer League. Christmas averaged eight points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks per game. It's not as good as his rookie teammates' stats, but for a second-round pick, it's okay. Not great, not horrible, but merely okay. You can't expect every second-round pick to be as good as Joseph Young this early, although don't be fooled by his Summer League performance. While being a senior at Syracuse, Christmas averaged nearly a double-double with 17.5 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks per game. Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky was the number one overall pick this year and he averaged 10.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game.
Young and Turner also had their fair share of stats. Young led all players in scoring with 22.5 points along with 3.3 assists per game during Summer League. He had an excellent shooting percentage as well (.508). Turner had a nice stat line himself. He averaged 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, and a whopping 4.3 blocks per game. Turner led all players in blocks. His offensive versatility was more important than his blocks per game. The Pacers knew what kind of defensive player he was, the question was his offense. He answered that question and the Pacers loved the answer.
Based on all of the different experiences the rookies have had, expect Myles Turner to be the most impressive rookie this season. It is the easy choice, but he has proven that he can perform and he will get his chances. Although Turner will be most impressive, Joseph Young will also show his talents too. Don't even be surprised if Young finishes with a better stat line than Turner.
Young is the older player, 23, and will most likely get more playing time. The reason Young will most likely get more playing time is because there isn't as much depth at the point guard position as there is at center. Turner will also have his young age flashes too. He's only 19 and has a lot of room to grow and will show his versatility early. As for Christmas, if he continues to work hard, he will develop into a nice role player for the Pacers.