Delon Wright Giving Indiana Pacers His All In Fight For Roster Spot

INDIANAPOLIS – In the second half of the Indiana Pacers intrasquad scrimmage on Sunday, Delon Wright caught the ball in the right corner with space in front of him. He faked a jumper, took the rock to the cup, and after an awkward first shot attempt he grabbed his own miss and scored.

It was an off-ball play, and one of a few in the game that showed what Wright hopes his role can be with Indiana. He was in the corner on that play, and the veteran guard played as a combo guard all day – he was paired with Andrew Nembhard or RayJ Dennis next to him in every minute he played. And Wright’s defense, his best skill and the primary one that got him signed by the Pacers a week ago, was sharp. He finished the outing with a team-high three steals.

That was Wright’s first action with the team. The 10-year pro agreed to a contract with the Pacers just before training camp and finished last season battling against them in the Eastern Conference Finals as a member of the New York Knicks. He now finds himself in a roster race for Indiana’s 15th spot – the team is trying to determine if they need a third point guard like Wright or prefer to keep four centers. Other dark-horse candidates are in the mix but are far less likely.

As for Wright, he joins the blue and gold with prior experience playing for current Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle. The two overlapped with the Dallas Mavericks in 2019-20, a team that reached the playoffs during an abbreviated season. “He’s unique. He’s got real length. He’s a very good rebounding guard. He shoots the three a lot better than people think, and he gets places with the ball,” Carlisle said of the guard he’s been reunited with. “With our situation and the possibility that an additional veteran guard could really help us, this is a good situation for him.”

What does Delon Wright bring to the Pacers?

Last season, Wright bounced between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Knicks. He was much more effective with New York and averaged 4.3 points and 2.1 assists per game for the franchise, then appeared in six playoff games. His defense is better than his offense, both when guarding his man and when getting his hands on the basketball.

For the Pacers, Wright’s entire career will come into play. There are multiple things the blue and gold may ask him to do should he make the team, and he’s done them all at some point during his time in the NBA.

At the top of the list is defense. The Utah product pulled in All-Defense votes in 2022-23 and led the entire playoffs in steal percentage in 2017-18. He’s pesky enough on ball and more effective off the ball, getting in passing lanes and tipping away errant, floaty passes. He’s earned a reputation on that end of the floor.

The Pacers style of play on defense was one of the things that attracted Wright to the franchise. “Yeah, the style of play. Everybody touching the ball, the defense, everybody picking up, getting into their man,” he said earlier in training camp. “I played for Rick [Carlisle] in Dallas, so I know what he asks from his players.”

Other Pacers players have noticed that defensive impact. “I’ve been playing against him since college. He’s just a great player. I know when we played against him last year in New York, he changed the series… just by the way he defends,” Pacers guard T.J. McConnell said of Wright. “He gets after it and plays really hard and that’s what we do here. So he fits right in.”

McConnell’s recall is correct – in the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this season, the Knicks dusted off Wright in the series. He had played just three total minutes in the playoffs prior to that best-of-seven, but he played an increasingly-important role in that series, particularly on the defensive end. New York was +12 with Wright on the floor in that six-game set.

During most of that Conference Finals, Wright shared the floor with another point guard – Cameron Payne, Jalen Brunson, and Miles McBride are more traditionally point guards, and Wright and Landry Shamet split ball handling duties for the Knicks second unit against the Pacers.

That’s now something Indiana can utilize. Wright can play as a lead ball handler, but he’s also more than comfortable playing alongside another point guard. More than 28% of his minutes came alongside Trae Young in 2021-22 with the Atlanta Hawks, and over 69% of his playing time was with either Fred VanVleet or Kyle Lowry on the 2017-18 Toronto Raptors.

The Pacers love to deploy lineups with two ball handlers, and particularly two that can operate as point guards. Last season, the blue and gold played 1,964 minutes (49.5%) with two of McConnell, Nembhard, or Tyrese Haliburton on the floor. Without Haliburton this season, it will be harder to play two point guard units without having another veteran guard around.

Enter Wright, who has experience in those kinds of lineups. Carlisle believes his abilities suit the Pacers style well, and it’s been a whole career of experiences that make Wright a good fit.

“I’ve played against him in the league a bunch of times. Real good with his hands,” Nembhard said of Wright. “Veteran, knows angles, [he’s] physical, knows how to play the game on both sides.”

During this career, Wright has averaged 6.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game. 34.8% of his three-point shots have dropped, which is significant as shooting, passing, and defense will be Wright’s most important skills with the blue and gold.

That is, of course, if he makes the team. In theory, there are multiple players in the mix for the final roster spot, but the current projection is that it will come down to Wright or Tony Bradley. Their positions are important in the decision, but how well they play during training camp and in the preseason matters, too.

It’s new for the Pacers veteran guard. “I’ve never actually been in this situation. You know, this is fairly new for me,” Wright said of battling for a roster spot. Should he be on the team come opening night, his skills will be a boon for the Pacers. But he still has to make it. “I feel like I’ve been around the league 11 years now, so they know what I do. They brought me here for a reason. So if I am on the team, good. If not, I know I’ll give them my all.”