Pacers Jordan Nwora proves he's kept 'an edge' despite lack of playing time

INDIANAPOLIS -- In October, when it became clear that Jordan Nwora would be a casualty of the Pacers' extensive depth and wouldn't be part of their rotation to start the year, coach Rick Carlisle asked the 25-year-old forward to stay ready. Even if he didn't play right away, Carlisle told him, the Pacers would need him.

Nwora didn't get much of a chance until Wednesday night against the Wizards, and when he did, he took advantage of it. He scored nine points on 4 of 7 shooting in a 112-104 win, including a violent tomahawk dunk and a 3-pointer. He also grabbed five defensive rebounds in 17 minutes, played solid defense and posted a +5 plus-minus figure.

"I thought Jordan Nwora showed tonight what being a professional in the NBA is," Carlisle said. "He's had a frustrating year in terms of opportunity, but he has stayed the course."

He has despite the fact that everyone else on the roster who Carlisle asked to stay ready has been rewarded with playing time, whether with the Pacers or someplace else. Nwora, who averaged 13.0 points per game with the Pacers last season after he was acquired in a trade from the Bucks in February, has rarely seen the floor in a game that wasn't already decided. Carlisle has continually noted that Nwora -- a former All-American at Louisville who didn't get much playing time with Milwaukee, either -- can be an excellent inside-outside scorer with size at 6-8, 225 pounds. However, Carlisle sees forwards Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith as better options at power forward, as well as Jalen Smith when the Pacers play big.

Point guard T.J. McConnell and center Isaiah Jackson are still essentially third on their respective depth charts, but they've each appeared in 29 of the Pacers' 37 games and averaged double-figure minutes in those appearances. Rookies Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard have found little work with the Pacers but got extensive action with the G League affiliate Mad Ants, who conveniently are playing their home games at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this season. Veteran center Daniel Theis played in just one game with the Pacers this season, so Indiana waived him out of respect when the Clippers had a need for a backup center and salary cap issues made it virtually impossible for the teams to work out a trade. Theis has played in 26 of the Clippers' 27 games since signing with Los Angeles, averaging 6.7 points in 16.6 minutes.

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Nwora's opportunities have remained few and far between. Heading into Wednesday night's game against the Wizards, he had appeared in just 14 games and averaged 9.4 minutes. Thirteen of those 14 appearances came in games that were eight double-digit wins or double-digit losses for the Pacers. He played 14 minutes against the Raptors on Nov. 22 when forward Aaron Nesmith was held out with a wrist injury, but he was held scoreless on 0 of 5 shooting in 14 minutes in a 132-131 loss, posting a -16 plus-minus figure and until Wednesday hadn't gotten any meaningful work since.

"It's difficult," McConnell said. "When we say depth is our greatest strength, it comes at some people's expense."

But by several accounts, Nwora hasn't let the lack of opportunity effect his work ethic. He's taken every available opportunity to get extra work to maintain his condition and skill set.

"You see him come in every day and work his butt off," McConnell said. "I know his situation isn't easy. I'm just super proud of him. He's just the consummate professional. Getting DNPs like that is not easy. Staying ready when you're not going in is even harder."

Nwora got another opportunity on Thursday night. The Pacers were already down a man with All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton being out for at least two weeks with a strained left hamstring. They had two late scratches when starting power forward Jalen Smith suffered soreness in his lower back and Walker came down with an upper respiratory infection. So Nwora checked in late in the first quarter and made an important impact. He scored seven points in the Pacers' 35-point third quarter, including the dunk with 1:47 to go in the third that put them up 12 points.

"I caught the ball, I drove, I made a little move and then I jumped," Nwora said on the Bally Sports broadcast after the game. "And I saw (Wizards center Daniel) Gafford there and I said, if I don't dunk this I'm gonna get blocked, so luckily I was able to make a play and finish."

There is, of course, no guarantee that Nwora will get any playing time in the upcoming six-game road trip if Smith and Walker return healthy. But Carlisle at least saw enough to know that Nwora has stayed ready for his opportunity.

"He defended," Carlisle said. "Offensively he was really good. The dunk was a huge play in the game for momentum in the third quarter and he made a big 3. I was really happy for him. Guys have a choice when things aren't going well. They can put their head down and blame the world or they can look in the mirror and stay ready and stay tuned up and keep an edge and he's done that."