The Pacers recalled Sheppard from the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Wednesday.
Sheppard and fellow rookie first-round pick Jarace Walker both joined the G League club on Tuesday and started in the Mad Ants' 131-97 win over the Windy City Bulls. The 22-year-old shooting guard played 33 minutes in the win, finishing with 18 points (6-15 FG, 4-10 3Pt, 1-1 FT), nine rebounds, four assists and one steal. Sheppard should be available for the Pacers' next game Thursday in Miami but is unlikely to be featured in coach Rick Carlisle's rotation.
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Pacers' Ben Sheppard: Returns to NBA club
Rotowire
The Pacers recalled Sheppard from the G League's Indiana Mad Ants on Wednesday.
Sheppard and Jarace Walker started the Mad Ants' matchup against the Motor City Cruise on Wednesday but have since returned to the NBA club. Sheppard finished the contest with 12 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 3Pt), six rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes.
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Pacers' Ben Sheppard: Plays 15 minutes in blowout loss
Rotowire
Sheppard logged six points (2-4 FG, 2-4 3Pt), two rebounds and two assists in 15 minutes during Wednesday's 155-104 loss to Boston.
Sheppard played double-digit minutes for the first time this year and knocked down two shots from beyond the arc in the blowout loss. However, he hasn't been part of the Pacers' rotation outside of blowouts early in the season.
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Pacers' Ben Sheppard: Plenty of volume in loss
Rotowire
Sheppard recorded 15 points (6-16 FG, 3-10 3Pt), three rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes during Sunday's 127-122 preseason overtime loss to the Grizzlies.
Although Sheppard came off the bench during Sunday's matchup, he saw plenty of volume from the floor and led the Pacers in field-goal attempts. Indiana selected Sheppard with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and although Sunday's performance was encouraging, he could have some trouble carving out meaningful minutes for the Pacers once the regular season begins.
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Pacers' Ben Sheppard: Silent in NBA debut
Rotowire
Sheppard logged one point (0-4 FG, 0-3 3PT, 1-2 FT), three rebounds, one assist and one steal in 28 minutes of Saturday's 91-83 Summer League win over Washington.
Sheppard was quiet in his first taste of NBA action, failing to knock down a single jumper in 28 minutes despite his shooting being his most notable trait. As he gets more comfortable in an NBA game environment, Sheppard should begin to start connecting on more of his attempts. However, those attempts could come at a premium with the Pacers bringing three rotation pieces from last year's roster into Summer League.
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Pacers' Ben Sheppard: Selected by Pacers with 26th pick
Rotowire
Sheppard was selected by the Pacers with the 26th overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft.
The Belmont product was a two-time first team All-Conference selection, and he capped off his senior season with averages of 18.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.5 made threes across 32 games. At 6-foot-6, Sheppard has prototypical size for an NBA two-guard, and he'll look to work his way into the Pacers' rotation as a knockdown three-point shooter. Fantasy-wise, Sheppard will not be worth drafting in most leagues, but he'll be a name to monitor -- especially if the Pacers were to move Buddy Hield this offseason.
