Keisei Tominaga has earned an NBA opportunity, securing an Exhibit 10 contract to join the Pacers during their training camp, per ESPN's Jonathan Givony.
Can the Nebraska guard impress Indiana enough to make the opening day roster?
Nobody is doubting Tominaga's shooting prowess after he won the NCAA's 3-point shooting contest in convincing fashion and shot 37.4 percent from deep over his three years as a Cornhusker. The Pacers already got a firsthand look at his marksmanship after he crushed the shooting drills during a pre-draft workout for them last summer.
Here's what else Tominaga has to do to earn head coach Rick Carlisle's trust.
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How Keisei Tominaga can make the Pacers roster
Keisei Tominaga must prove that he's gotten stronger
When Tominaga worked out with the Pacers last season, he received important feedback on what he needed to improve on during his senior season at Nebraska.
“Defense stuff or physical stuff. Those types of things, I need to get better still," he said.
At 6-2 and 179 pounds, there's only so much that Tominaga can do on defense, but according to his college coach Fred Hoiberg, he has made great strides in that area.
"He obviously had an adjustment period when he first got to Nebraska, and there were some games that he really struggled with the physicality," Hoiberg told the Huskers Radio Network. "That's where I give him so much credit, is how he has gained his strength that has allowed him to bang against bigger, stronger opponents, and ability to get his shot off even though he's basically getting face-guarded out there against a lot of teams."
The small guards in the NBA like Fred VanVleet and Jalen Brunson have succeeded by being tough as nails and willing to take a lot of charges. Tominaga displayed some of those qualities at Nebraska, but he will have to continue to improve.
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Keisei Tominaga must show that he's a more well-rounded player
Shooting is always at a premium in the NBA, but more and more teams are searching out players who can pass, dribble and shoot.
Tominaga has made great strides there, doubling his assists from 0.7 per game as a junior to 1.4 per game in his senior year. He's also gotten much better as a driver.
"I think my most improvement thing from last year is attacking the basket, cutting. I think I play on ball more than last year too," Tominaga told reporters in March.
Hoiberg played and coached in the NBA, and he knows what skills are needed to thrive in that environment. He gave Tominaga an opportunity to expand in those areas and was pleased with the growth there.
"The biggest area of improvement in Keisei's game is his ability to get to the basket," Hoiberg told the Huskers Radio Network.
Keisei Tominaga faces stiff competition for limited spots on the roster
The Pacers have a fairly full roster. 12 players will have guaranteed contracts. Kendall Brown could make 13 if the team guarantees his deal before Oct. 22. That leaves only two spots open on the team. There will be a lot of competition for them.
The Pacers just traded for Johnny Furphy with the 35th pick in the draft. The Kansas forward was brought to the team to fill a similar role to what Tominaga would theoretically provide. Furphy hit 35.2 percent of his 3s in his one year of college.
The Pacers also selected forward Enrique Freeman and guard Tristen Newton in the second round. Freeman plays a different position than Tominaga and Newton is a shaky 33.7 percent 3-point shooter who is more of a defensive guard.
In addition, the Pacers still have the rights on big man Oscar Tshiebwe and guard Quenton Jackson. Both received qualifying offers from the team, per Pacers writer Tony East, and will be in negotiations for new contracts after playing on two-way contracts last year.
There are up to three two-way slots available next season for the Pacers, none of which have been filled yet. Those two-way slots allow a player to split time between the G League and the team. Tominaga probably won't make the regular 15-man roster, but he could be in competition for one of those deals. If he did get converted from an Exhibit 10 contract to a two-way deal, he could play up to 50 NBA games with the Pacers next season.
If Tominaga doesn't land a two-way spot, he can always sign with the Pacers' G League team for the entirety of the season. That will give him a chance to continue to stay on NBA radars, where he can be signed by any of the 30 teams in the league.
