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Enrique Freeman


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IPacers.com blog did a post for everyone's summer league debut and gave them a grade. Here is their grade & write up on Enrique. Link to full blog 

 

https://ipacers.com/2024/07/13/pacers-summer-league-grades-jarace-walker-shines-but-indiana-loses-sloppy-opener/

 

Enrique Freeman = A-

 

Speaking of hard play, Enrique Freeman has a relentless motor. He played 17 minutes and I’m not sure he ever stopped running at full speed. He immediately made a huge play as soon as he entered the game with a phenomenal block even with the offensive player trying to his off arm to push off the Pacers rookie from making the play.

 

Amazingly this wasn’t even his best block of the game as he erased a potential highlight dunk with a perfectly timed jump and clean swat of the ball that turned into a Pacers transition opportunity.

 

Freeman doesn’t stop hustling and looks like a pure energy big. He wasn’t perfect on the perimeter on defense but moved his feet well and always made an effort to get back into the play when beat.

 

He scored 7 points (3 of 4) with a strong tip dunk and a nice hook shot that may serve him well in the G-League even if he doesn’t get many opportunities to showcase his post game in the NBA. He added 5 rebounds, an assist, and a steal to go with those two emphatic blocks as well. I was really impressed with his relentless spirit and high energy during his time on the floor. In the first half, he had strongly outplayed Tshiebwe, who bounced back with a big second half performance.

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3 hours ago, mes102 said:

IPacers.com blog did a post for everyone's summer league debut and gave them a grade. Here is their grade & write up on Enrique. Link to full blog 

 

https://ipacers.com/2024/07/13/pacers-summer-league-grades-jarace-walker-shines-but-indiana-loses-sloppy-opener/

 

Enrique Freeman = A-

 

Speaking of hard play, Enrique Freeman has a relentless motor. He played 17 minutes and I’m not sure he ever stopped running at full speed. He immediately made a huge play as soon as he entered the game with a phenomenal block even with the offensive player trying to his off arm to push off the Pacers rookie from making the play.

 

Amazingly this wasn’t even his best block of the game as he erased a potential highlight dunk with a perfectly timed jump and clean swat of the ball that turned into a Pacers transition opportunity.

 

Freeman doesn’t stop hustling and looks like a pure energy big. He wasn’t perfect on the perimeter on defense but moved his feet well and always made an effort to get back into the play when beat.

 

He scored 7 points (3 of 4) with a strong tip dunk and a nice hook shot that may serve him well in the G-League even if he doesn’t get many opportunities to showcase his post game in the NBA. He added 5 rebounds, an assist, and a steal to go with those two emphatic blocks as well. I was really impressed with his relentless spirit and high energy during his time on the floor. In the first half, he had strongly outplayed Tshiebwe, who bounced back with a big second half performance.

I was a little disappointed not seeing him in the game at the end of the last quarter and in overtime.

Edited by 1981 grad
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3 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

I was a little disappointed not seeing him in the game at the end of the last quarter and in overtime.

+1. He played very well while he was in so maybe the coaches had seen enough? I guess it is more about development & evaluation than winning the game…

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20 hours ago, Blue & Gold said:

+1. He played very well while he was in so maybe the coaches had seen enough? I guess it is more about development & evaluation than winning the game…

I was disappointed as well he didn’t get in after 3Q.  It looked like the coach was going with starters for the first half of the quarter and then would sub half way through.  In 3Q the starters built an ~10 point lead before they came out and Enrique’s unit basically gave it up (no fault of Enrique).  In 4Q, the starters built a similar 10 point lead midway through and I think the coach thought he would let them finish it out but then the lead started to slip away as players got tired and yet he still didn’t sub in 4Q or overtime.  I guess it is just summer league and winning isn’t everything but was hoping Enrique would get back in there.

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Playing pretty well in his current game. 16 minutes, 12 points, 3 rebounds and an assist with only one turnover. His teammates have hung him out to dry a few times but he has acquitted himself quite well. Definitely looks like he belongs. 

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Freeman just continues to exceed expectations and is getting a ton of love from Pacers fans. It's really surreal to see a Zips basketball player getting this much hype in the NBA, even if it's just Summer League. Really great for him and for our basketball program.

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I have watched both games and what is remarkable about his play is that he is the only player that is playing a completely different position than he did in his 5 years at Akron where he was a post up player and the center of the offense.  He is also playing against much quicker and stronger players than he did at Akron.  The game yesterday was very physical with tons of fouls.  It is interesting to watch the mix of players: draft picks, NBA bench players, and foreign league players that are looking to get their foot into the NBA. 

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13 hours ago, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

 

I know there was some talks about him playing the wing during the draft process. I kind of always viewed him either as a potential stretch 4 or as a 5 in a small ball lineup. He plays much bigger than his 6'7" frame.

 

You probably wouldn't want to have him play 30 minutes a night at the 5, but against the right opponent or matchup he can provide a change of pace and versatility to a lineup.

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