Most Indiana Pacers fans were still shell-shocked by the most tragic moment in the franchise’s history to pay much attention to the 2025 NBA Draft. It didn’t help that Indiana didn’t have a first-round pick, either. And a few days into free agency, the Pacers have added no new players and lost Myles Turner.
However, they did add two second-round picks on day two of the NBA Draft. The picks are unsurprisingly a mix of betting on upside with flaws that contributed to their second-round landing spots in the draft despite solid college careers.
To learn about these players together—and to allow myself to use a lazy writer’s technique of differing to others—let’s see what some old friends Tony East and Ben Pfeifer, have said about these picks and what they mean for Indiana’s future.
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Kam Jones: Downhill driver and spot shooter
The Pacers took Kam Jones out of Marquette with the 38th pick and got someone who isn’t afraid to attack the basket or spot up for a 3-pointer. He averaged 19.2 points, 5.9 assists, and 4.2 rebounds a game in his final season for the Golden Eagles.
He only shot 31% from deep as a senior, but also took on more ball-handling duties that likely explain the drop from his career 36.6% average on three-pointers.
Judging from his highlights, you want to give him the ball and let him attack the paint, or find him open and ready to knock down his shot.
I see some “paint to great” possibilities there, something Indiana could bring more out of in him as some of those drives for buckets won’t be as easy against stronger, more athletic bigs in the NBA.
here's my quick scouting report of kam jones, who i absolutely love for indiana at 38 as a future rotation guard who does a bit of everything: pic.twitter.com/MAdnL5O7IO
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) June 27, 2025
Pfeifer said before the draft that he believed Kam Jones was an underrated (though older) guard and placed him first 30 picks on his big board. As you can see from his notes above, he showed a set of tools in college that could make him a backup point guard in the NBA.
The man from Marquette can score, as the Athletic’s Sam Vecenie wrote, though he lacks some of the physical tools that would have led him to be picked higher in the draft. He needs a way to avoid forcing his way into the paint to score and find a way to score in between the arc and the paint.
He needs to work on his pull-up jumper and become lethal there, but Jones is also a tremendous driver and finisher. It’s a perfect schematic pick for the Pacers as Jones has played in a similar scheme to the one Indiana runs during the last two years at Marquette.
East also pointed out on Forbes that Jones’ style of offense fits well with Indiana. You can’t replace Haliburton, clearly, but it makes sense to bet on one that has a similar skill of avoiding turnovers while handing out assists.
Jones’ college metrics suggest he can fit into that style as he grows in the NBA. While having a usage rate approaching 30%, Jones held a turnover rate below 10% – he rarely made poor decisions despite being heavily involved.
In short, an offensively talented player who can score downhill and on the catch, but not someone who can walk it up the floor and put one in the defense’s collective eye by firing off the dribble from deep. And yes, some liabilities as a defender, but can clog passing lanes and get steals.
If you get a bench player who can handle the ball himself or distribute it to teammates to keep the offense rolling, then you’ve done well for yourself with a second-round pick. Seeing how well he can translate his ability to care of the ball in a place like Summer League that is prone to sloppiness and turnovers galore will be interesting to see.
Taelon Peter: Good eye, sniper
Liberty’s Taelon Peter’s selection as the 54th pick in the draft—not exactly where you expect to find franchise-altering talent—might have left a few folks scratching their heads as he played for three schools in his college career with three years in Division II and only started two games his final year of eligibility. ESPN didn’t have him in their top 100 prospects and had no clip package prepared for his selection.
But he can dunk and shoot with incredible efficiency.
taelon peter is the first player drafted in a long time that i've legitimately never heard of but i am so in on him after a quick highlight scout
72.8% TS on 20.8% usg, 1.7 a:to, 78.5% atr, 45.8% on 12.5 3pa/100, this is an instant pacers legend pic.twitter.com/iocck4vLUK
— ben pfeifer (@bjpf_) June 27, 2025
He didn’t start, but he did average 13.7 points while shooting 57.8% from the field, including 45.3% from deep.
East pointed out during an episode of Locked on Pacers that Peter’s numbers are a bit perplexing in the sense that he’s a sniper on his roughly five three-pointers a game while also dunking as much as some centers.
His stats don’t make sense. This level of shotmaking is insane. That’s the kind of gamble you like to make in the late 50s.
Peter’s shooting analytics are absurd as he led Division I in true shooting percentage at 72.4%—a combination of field goal and free throw shooting—but there’s not much else to talk about. Betting on one great skill and hoping he can develop the rest of his game is the right move this late in the draft.
Players picked this late aren’t expected to be more than two-way contract players. If he makes an impact on the NBA roster at any point, that’s a win for Indiana and an impressive unearthing of a hidden gem.
We’ll get our first looks at these players in a pseudo-NBA setting when Summer League games start on July 10th.
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