CARMEL — Braden Smith’s first act as a member of the Pacers was to take part in a camp just 15 minutes down U.S. 31 and Keystone Parkway from where he played his high school home games.
The former Westfield High School star, 2022 Indiana Mr. Basketball and Purdue All-American point guard operated as a counselor on Saturday at his All-Star teammate Tyrese Haliburton’s basketball camp at the Aletto Family Sports Complex in Carmel just days after the Pacers traded into the second round of the NBA Draft to select him with the No. 38 overall pick. Though Haliburton was the main attraction, Smith had lines of campers and fans waiting for him to sign autographs or take pictures with him.
“It’s awesome just to be here and be really close to home and be around a community I’ve always been around,” Smith said. “It’s awesome.”
Smith said he went into Wednesday’s second round knowing the Pacers were pushing to get him, but he also said that the Bucks and Lakers had shown interest in making deals to pick him as well. He had hopes of playing on the team he grew up rooting for and one on which he had personal connections. Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan’s son Trey was a teammate of Smith’s at Westfield and in grassroots ball growing up.
“It was awesome,” Smith said. “There was a lot going on, but at the end of the day, it ended up working out and I’m back home, so that was good.”
Smith made himself easy for the Pacers to pick by agreeing to play on a two-way contract. Buchanan said earlier this week that the deal hasn’t been finalized, but it helped the Pacers clear out just more than $2 million in salary as they sent guard Kam Jones to the Bulls to make the deal. Two-way contract players make half the rookie minimum; last year that was about $636,000 per year so Smith will start above that but not seven figures. He will be limited to 50 regular season NBA games as an active player, will have responsibilities to the Noblesville Boom in the G League and will not be eligible for postseason play unless his contract is converted sometime during the season.
Being on a two-way contract rather than a standard contract comes with less job security along with less money. But Smith — who at 5-10 1/4, 166.6 pounds was the shortest and lightest player measured at this year’s NBA Draft Combine — is used to being in a disadvantaged position and having to make the most of it.
“It’s always going to be a challenge for me, especially at this level and every level I’ve been a part of,” Smith said. “Nothing is really new to be honest. For me that’s the exciting part. I get to go out there and start back at ground zero and work your way up. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
The namesake of Saturday’s camp likes Smith’s odds. Haliburton was also undersized in a way — though he’s 6-5 he weighed about 165 pounds when he started his college career at Iowa State — but his vision and basketball intellect has carried him to being one of the NBA’s most dynamic point guards and arguably the best distributor in the league at the position. Though Smith has obstacles he did not, Haliburton sees some of himself in the Purdue star. He got to watch him up close last year when Iowa State defeated Purdue at Mackey Arena.
“At the collegiate level, for me by the time I was a sophomore, I felt like I had perfected the pick-and-roll,” Haliburton said. “It didn’t matter who was guarding me, going right, going left. Whatever pass I needed to make I could make. I felt the same way when I watched him play. He can really make any read offensively. He’s very talented in that regard. Being a point guard he always plays the right way. That will not be a problem for him in his NBA career. … I’m very excited for him to be on the team and I’m sure it’s an exciting time for him.”
Dustin Dopirak covers the Pacers all season. Get more coverage on IndyStarTV and with the Pacers Insider newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Braden Smith comes home: Pacers rookie embraces the dream he grew up chasing
Reporting by Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Dustin Dopirak, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
