Indiana Pacers Sign Fan-Favorite Olympian to Summer League Roster originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Indiana Pacers, after losing Tyrese Haliburton to injury and Myles Turner to free agency, seem headed towards a down year in 2025-26
After making the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024 and then improving to make the Finals in 2025, the Pacers were hoping to run the Eastern Conference for the next several seasons, but instead will struggle to make the playoffs.
So next season, why not have some fun with it?
The Pacers signed guard Keisei Tominaga to a Summer League contract. He averaged 15.1 points and 2.3 rebounds for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2023-24, and has found some success playing for the Japanese national team.
In the 2023 FIBA Cup he averaged 10 points, although he scored only a single basket for Japan during three Olympic appearances.
Still, he was a fan favorite in college, and the frisky Japanese team quickly won over fans in Paris, with Yuki Kawamura signing with the Memphis Grizzlies last season.
The Pacers have three open roster spots and two open two-way contracts, although Enrique Freeman is expected to sign, as might James Wiseman or Thomas Bryant.
In the wake of Haliburton’s injury, the Pacers do have room on their depth chart for a guard, although Tominaga is far from an elite shooter or facilitator, and his defense is lacking. While he might win over fans this summer, it is not expected that he will suit up in the NBA next season, although he could find himself on a G League roster if all goes well.
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