Doug McDermott adjusting to trade and studying how to help Indiana Pacers

INDIANAPOLIS — Doug McDermott was brought back to the Indiana Pacers on trade deadline day earlier this month. After the Pacers sent Buddy Hield to the Philadelphia 76ers, they needed shooting on the perimeter, so they turned to the San Antonio Spurs for help.

The Pacers sent the Spurs Marcus Morris and a 2029 second-round draft pick (via the LA Clippers) to grab the veteran wing. McDermott was previously with the Pacers from 2018-2021, so he has some familiarity with the organization.

"I was super excited obviously, coming back to a place I'm familiar with. Obviously, a lot has changed around here," McDermott said Tuesday. The only players remaining on Indiana's roster since McDermott left are T.J. McConnell and Myles Turner. "But overall, it kind of feels like home here for me. I've said that multiple times. I spent three good years here. Went down to Texas for a few years. Now I'm back here in Indy."

McDermott averaged 10.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in his first stint with the blue and gold. On a team that needed shooting in the worst way, McDermott provided it. He canned 41.1% of his triples in that span, and he took nearly four outside shots per game.

Since that time, McDermott has upped his volume from deep while maintaining his accuracy, but his defense has taken a step back. With the Spurs, he was playing his fewest minutes per game since he was a rookie prior to the trade.

Perhaps that could change with Indiana, where McDermott can instantly provide much-needed shooting on the wing. "He definitely can shoot the ball, he's obviously known for that," Turner said of his former, and now current, teammate. Turner also noted that McDermott's height and general firepower will be valuable.

So far, McDermott is three games in with the blue and gold. They are tough to evaluate — McDermott had to learn what was needed from him and a whole new system on the fly.

He's played for head coach Rick Carlisle before, so he is a known commodity. But McDermott still had to figure out where his shots will come from and how to best fit in with the blue and gold. He went scoreless in his first two games back with the Pacers.

"The first couple of games, I kind of felt a little lost with some of the play calls. But Rick's all about concepts and just moving randomly out there," McDermott said. He thinks the familiarity with the coaching staff and two others vets helps a lot. "I feel like that really helps my game, that's kind of what I do out there anyway. I feel like the more time I have, the more comfortable I'm going to be."

In his third game, that became more clear. The Pacers were without Bennedict Mathurin on the wing, and Aaron Nesmith went down with an injury mid-game. McDermott was suddenly an important part of the rotation.

The veteran sharpshooter was up for the task, hitting three outside shots and scoring 13 points in a win. "It felt good to see some shots go in," he said. Indiana needed McDermott to be a weapon that night, and he was in a tight victory.

"He's just an elite shooter and scorer, something that we obviously needed once Buddy [Hield] was gone," McConnell said of McDermott. "Obviously, great locker room guy. Moves the ball. If he's open, it's cash. He's going to be good for our group."

Carlisle stressed on Tuesday that McDermott just went through his first full practice with the team. All he had before that was shootarounds, so his effectiveness could improve in the coming games. Having a practice after being traded was vital for new Pacers forward Pascal Siakam last month.

"He's the kind of player that would easily fit into any team," Carlisle said of McDermott. "He's knowledgeable, he's experienced, he has a great skill with his ability to shoot and shoot off movement."

So far, McDermott has operated almost entirely with the second unit. 28 of his 38 minutes played with the blue and gold this season have come with McConnell at point guard. Indiana's bench lacks outside shooting whereas the starting lineup has Tyrese Haliburton, Nesmith, Turner, and the more-accurate-of-late Andrew Nembhard. McDermott's gravity, and the spacing he provides, is helpful with any lineup. But it's particularly useful with the Pacers bench.

Meshing with multiple lineups is something McDermott has proven he can do throughout his career. In his first stint with the Pacers, for example, he came off the bench but was an excellent partner for starting center Domantas Sabonis. He hit the hardwood with several different units.

Coming from a young Spurs team to the sixth-place Pacers will make that versatility more valuable. "Obviously going to miss those guys. They're a really talented, fun group down there. They've got a lot of bright days ahead of them. But it's great being on a veteran team here with a guy like T.J., Myles that I've already been with," McDermott said yesterday. "It's definitely a transition," he added, but he thinks it's good for him going forward.

The Pacers current setup allows McDermott to be himself. He can play randomly and hit threes on the move, which won't subtract from how the team plays. McDermott said that he spent some of his All-Star break studying how the Pacers used Buddy Hield so that he can fill some of that void going forward. "Try to get myself ready for more of that," he said.

McDermott also likes something new about the Pacers setup — the bell in the practice facility. Players who hit 20 out of 25 threes in an around-the-world style drill the Pacers do are permitted to ring the bell. As a great shooter, McDermott has already done it often. His teammates have instructed him to ring it harder.

Clearly, a relationship is already forming with the veteran wing and his teammates. And his established relationships remain — he and McConnell used to talk about wine together often, and that hobby is reforming.

"He's asking every night, I know that," McDermott said of McConnell re-starting the wine club. "I thought I was going to be able to cleanse after leaving [Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich], that was quite the experience. But here we go again."

McDermott will be a great culture fit with the Pacers, and he's putting in the time to be a better basketball fit. When the regular season resumes tomorrow, perhaps the veteran wing can become important for the blue and gold.