Indiana Pacers Media Availability | December 7, 2025

Indiana Pacers Media Availability | December 7, 2025

It’s been a while since you guys had a practice in here. Basically, a lot of moving parts since then. What was like just to get everybody, you know, in a situation like this? Yeah, practice time is needed. Um, it was uh it was productive today and um we have to use it wisely. What’s uh I know we talked about this a couple times, but I mean, how have you seen Jay and Isaiah and just the center position evolve? I mean, see, both of those guys have seen a couple a lot of growth, I think, in the last couple weeks. how the team can then uh take further steps. Uh a lot of progress. Um doesn’t matter who starts, you know, it’s it’s a tag team thing. It’s a brother brotherhood thing. Those guys job is to hold down the fort. Tony’s included in that, too. Um so, it’s just important that the spirit is, you know, we just find a way to get it done. Um in the Chicago game, both guys played well. That was key. How did they how do they both each learn to play with various combinations? And like you said, it doesn’t matter who starts you guys. You got them, you know, each of those guys working with starters, each of those guys working with backups. You know, they they’ve been in all kinds of combinations. How have they improved as far as that? Yeah, it’s um we shuttle them back and forth with the different groups. Um so, you know, the the the various groups can can work with both players because there there are differences. Um, and the guys have done a good job of recognizing, you know, the the subtle um, differences when each guy’s on the court. Both both guys have tremendous strengths that they play to um, and really work hard at. And, uh, you know, our job as a staff is to, you know, try to put everybody in the best position possible. I know you got talked at the beginning about Dave having to get used to the level of conditioning required. It seems like he’s done that. I mean, how have you seen him grow in understanding the pace, uh, you know, the level of aggression, all those kinds of things that are required and how has he grown into that over, you know, playing through it during the course of? Well, there’s no there’s no substitute for actually being out there and experiencing how we play. Um, you know, our style is is a little different right now from what it was last year, but still we’re we’re an aggressive team. Um, we’re aggressive on both sides of the ball. Um, you know, running and conditioning is really important and, um, you know, as it’s gone along, you know, the the staff, myself, you know, have gotten a better feel for, you know, when guys kind of reach the threshold when they’re, you know, need one, come out, whatever. Um, and those guys, you know, they’re doing it, they’re doing it as a group, you know, it’s takes a village. How much I was just got just one more on Jay. I mean just um obviously he’s starting to get shots to fall you know a lot of rim protection there. How much of each of those elements made an impact you have you know the spacing there uh with five fiveman that can shoot. You know that he’s kind of established that. Yeah he’s he’s unique. He’s a 7 foot guy that can shoot at long range. Um he drives the ball well. Um and of course the rim protection is is something that we’ve known about you know and he’s he’s up there in the league. So, uh, all those elements are are vitally important to us. Um, and you know, I I just think there’s a long a lot more growth to be had with with with Jay and Isaiah. Um, you know, they’re both they’re both young guys. Jay’s 25, 26, and, you know, Isaiah’s 24, whatever it is, you know, so these guys are still young. Um, they’re terrific people. um you know they work hard at their games and I think they appreciate being here. A natural part of the question with the new players like Jay is how do they fit what they’re doing? The other side of that exists too though like the other players working in a way to help them fit the best they can even you as coach look at that. What’s that process like of seeing what is and isn’t working and adjusting what even what is established and works to make sure those new players can be as successful as possible. Well, if you’re talking about internally, what do the what do the players do to help a new guy? Is that is that what you’re asking? Yeah. I mean, that’s the that’s the internal leadership of the team. And, you know, for the last couple years, it’s been, you know, and Tyrese and and and Pascal and really Drew has become a part of that. And now Matine’s one of our leaders. And so, um, all these guys, uh, you know, this this is got to be a brotherhood. You know, playing in NBA games is a great privilege, but it’s not easy. It’s not easy. Coming to a new team is not easy. And so our guys our guys do do a very good job of welcoming new players. Um helping them adapt to the style, the city, all those kinds of things. Um and you know, we’re we’re a work in progress with with all this. Was uh Quinton able to do anything today? Uh a little bit. He’s going to play now, I think. I think you said with Cam that there’s similar thing that for him it’s so out conditioning now more so than the bag. Is he able to practice with you guys in at full capacity? What’s his kind of status with that? Uh he did non-cont stuff today. Um I don’t think he’s scrimmaging live yet. Um even on the side, but he’s getting he’s getting there. He’s getting there. Um, I would think sooner than later he’ll be back out there banging and all that kind of stuff, but he’s making making progress. He was uh he was in a lot of uh a lot of the non-cont stuff, offense and defense today. And so, uh, I know he’s very anxious. I’m very excited to be back on the floor and and feeling 100% finally. I think you said three weeks ago was four weeks for Aaron. Do you still feel like that timeline’s about going to be what it is? Where’s he at with his recovery right now? There’s no there’s no timetable. I mean, I think No. How long’s it been? 3 weeks and two days. Not that it was on a Thursday, right? Yeah. Yeah. I It’s going to be It’s going to be a while. Um hopefully not too long. Um it would be great if he could uh be back playing sometime this month. Um, and he’s making great progress with no setbacks. So, time will tell, but um, I don’t have any kind of a set timetable for you. Chicago is a really good offensive team. Two games in a week that you played really well defensively against them. Was there a common theme to those two matchups, those defensive efforts? Get back on defense was a big part of it. Um, we did well in both games. Uh, we did good things offensively that helped our defense as well. Um, so look, I mean, Sacramento has got two Hall of Famers on their team, you know, D Rozan and Westbrook. They got Monk coming off the bench who’s explosive. They got Lavine who’s who’s been an all-star who’s at 42 points last night. And like they smashed Miami last night. And they got they got Murray, you know, they got they got a bunch of guys. This guy Renault is is a very good young big was very very skilled. So, you know, it’s uh a lot of the a lot of the same tasks, you know, transition defense, you know, individual guard your yard type stuff. You know, we’re going to have to have help ready, but with the way the game is today, if you got to run around double teaming too much, there’s guys stepping into wide open shots all over the place, you know. So, it’s a it’s a big challenge. It’s a big challenge. And, you know, watching their game against Miami was was was impressive, you know, to see them see them have that kind of performance. Miami’s, you know, been playing great and having a great year. So, um, you know, credit credit to them. Two games against the Bulls, you guys played really well. I know over the last couple weeks, couple off games, but team defense has improved. what when you’re playing well defensively, what what’s happening? Um, I think that we uh, you know, we’re we’re able to get some stops. It’s the most important thing for us, you know, cuz I feel like our offense is is just going to keep improving. I mean, it has to improve, right? So, as long as we have we have our defense um, you know, at a very high level, our offense is just going to uh, be equivalent as our defense. When I asked Rick a similar question, the first thing he said was getting back. I mean, how much is that sort of ingrained in everyone’s head? shot goes up if you’re not crashing that you have to get back. And how how have you personally improved in that area? Um it’s been very very important for us. I think that um you know we’ve given up a lot of points on transition defense and I feel like that’s been a main point of emphasis of emphasis for us to you know to cut out and I feel like we’ve been doing a good job. What could what can you say about Ethan coming in first real rotation minutes and then he’s closing the game out against Chicago? He’s been good man. I’m very very happy for him. Um, I told him that he gets the opportunity to to go out there and to make a name for himself. So, um, I’m very very, um, happy for him to be able to have the experience, you know what I’m saying? He’s been he’s been, uh, you know, grinding the past few years a lot to to make it to the, you know, to the NBA and he’s he’s been he’s been off to a good start. How do you think you guys you and Drew have uh, come to work together as far as defending? You know, you guys are both defending top players, getting top assignments. How are you guys working with that? What have you learned from watching him over years over the years of what it takes to defend in those caliber players? It’s been fun, man. It’s been fun, you know, just watching uh Jury’s great. He’s a great player, you know, both both sides of the ball, but especially defensively. So, I’m just trying to um you know, try just trying to buy into um you know, tricks, maybe tricks that he has defensively and watching, like you said, watching him watching him over the years has just helped him. So, um it’s it’s been good, man. Me and Drew, we’ve built the connection, you know, between guarding the best players. And if I feel like I’m uh I can I can really guard the best player at the end of the game, then I’m taking the assignment. It’s willing to take the assignment as well. What’s what’s the most important thing you’ve learned from him? I guess like what what what do you think makes him as good as he is? And what are the things that you that I want I want to be able to do that? Um I would just say his uh his uh his his level of focus, you know, just being able to to get the job done. he doesn’t really complain too much, you know. So, it’s good to have a teammate like like him who just goes out, you know, goes out there and fight till uh till the end of the buzzer. So, you know, it just it just says a lot about him. Last game you had 28, but it was your first game with more than 25 this season where you didn’t have 10 any quarter of the game. I mean that to say that do you feel like you’re getting better at figuring out your shots offense without, you know, having the ball and handling situations as much? Do you do you feel that this season? For sure. I think that’s been uh you know somewhere where I wanted to improve. Um it’s not going to happen overnight. You know I think that uh having my teammates around um you know just looking for me it’s uh it’s been wonderful. You know I hopefully you keep looking for me um you know playing with this guy right here. He never passed me the ball man start passing me the ball. He’s very very uh annoying but you know. Yeah. This guy right here man. We good though. Well, since you brought him up in general, how has he displayed leadership qualities this season with all everything that’s happened? He’s been good, man. He’s been good. I I don’t want to say surprisingly because he’s he’s been a winner. You know, he’s he’s won a championship. So, um we just went to the finals. You know, it takes a lot to have someone on the team who uh you know, who not necessarily only score, but plays great defense and is a great voice out there. So, it’s good to see that. um you know um you can have such a great attitude even even if um you know things are not going your way. So I know we’ve talked a few times this season about just your your growth into you know playing with the team and everything like that and like where where do you feel like you taking the biggest steps and figuring out you know your role with this group and just operating with this with this team? I think it was a team thing. Um I think I needed I needed to figure out how to just like fit into the framework of the team. Uh, you know, it’s a pretty well established group, even though I know we’ve had a lot of guys in and out. Um, and I I’ve just tried to make sure that I always try to figure out what’s best for the team and what I do. And I think we we figured that out. What What did that take, I guess, in terms of like what did you have to Time? I think some of it was just time. Some of it was, you know, we we made some adjustments here and there. Uh, but I think a lot of it was just time. What’s the Just how big is it just making shots once you can get a couple to go down? It works, but it works with spacing. They’re looking for you. I mean, how much does seeing a couple down sort of as a domino effect for making everything else fit? Yeah, I I think that like once we once we figured out how to fit that into our offense, I think as far as like shooting, spacing the floor, everything like that, I think that made a big difference as far as getting other guys open, open shots, open drives at the rim. Um, you know, one more passes. It just it provides a lot of extra space. Has made it when you’re a new player on the team about how you would fit into what everybody else does and you potentially adjusting to their style. What have you thought of how your teammates have tweaked what they do already to help you play the way you want to play? Yeah, they they have definitely made some adjustments. Uh I think just playing with me on the perimeter. Um you know, we like me and Isaiah and Tony, we all do different things and so having to, you know, I guess figure out what to do when one of us is on the floor versus when the other. Uh everybody’s everybody’s had to learn a little bit and make those adjustments which they’ve all done really well. What about getting into secrets? Is that like getting the film session? Is that playing together chemistry? What is that? It’s a mix of everything. I think, like I said, it took time early on. I think um you know, eventually with like some of it was just practice time and like um yeah, just going through it offensively. Sorry, foot’s starting to get a little a little sore. I’m going to stand up straight actually. Um but yeah, just just making the adjustments in film and in, you know, in walkthroughs, practice, whatever else. Say the last three weeks, give or you know, take out the Cavs game and the Nuggets game, defense has been much much better. when you’re playing well, what is working and and maybe if you think of those two games, where was the line? You know, I think it’s a lot of it’s just how connected we are. Uh, you know, our defense relies a lot on that. I think um, you know, our our guards, you know, defend really really well. I always tell them if if their man gets past them, send them to me. Um, I try to clean up everything else like that, but those guys are the ones that are out there just defending their putts off and sliding hard and getting through screens. Um, but I think overall like there’s there’s day like the two games you mentioned like we just like it’s a little bit off. I think um it’s hard to pinpoint exactly what it is, but I think we just kind of figured out, hey, we need to stick together, do the little things. Well, it’s not usually one big glaring thing. It’s usually a string of little things. Rick has mentioned the transition part. You’re probably someone that’s allowed to crash, but then everyone else has to get back. Is that It depends. I mean, like if you know there’s there’s rules and stuff for that. I won’t get into that, but typically I think right now um you know there’s guys that go crash and it depends on where you’re at on the floor, but we’re we’re trying to work on just improving our transition defense, making sure nobody gets behind us. What I think we talked at the beginning about what it takes to get used to this the pace and the level of condition that’s required. How long did it take you to feel like because obviously it’s not an issue anymore. How long did it take you to feel like okay, I can run with? Um I think once you get through like the preseason early games like it it’s easier. I also think like the more minutes you play, the easier it is, if that makes sense. Um, you know, with like rotations being what they are, sometimes it’s hard to hard to get accustomed to. And for guys that are in and out of the rotation and stuff like that, which I have been a lot, um, that’s difficult. And so, I think for me, just trying to do the extra stuff on the on the outside, everything like that, making sure I do stuff off the floor, everything like that. I think it’s it’s important. How just the three of you centers? Yeah. How how this this review center sort of how do you guys operate together basically? I mean how how have you gotten it seems like you you guys had a sense of what the assignment was to start with and the importance of operating like a team even if you’re working on the floor at the same time. How has that work based how you guys push each other and how is that dynamic? It’s a great group. Uh I love those guys. We we talk a lot about like what what’s going on on the floor. Usually we’re you know just chatting anyways. Like it’s just it’s a fun group to be around. It’s it’s we’re all rooting for each other. Um, you know, it’s exciting seeing those guys do well. Um, and like I said, we all do something a little different. And I think that means that there’s going to be games where one of us needs to play more than the other or vice versa. Like it it’s pretty great. I would say what’s the last week been like, but really what’s the last 48 hours been like since you played in that game? And I’m guessing your phone was a little busy on Saturday. N for sure it was. I mean, it was good to get, you know, a lot of love. Um, and especially the opportunity to be able to go out there and compete. Um, and then yeah, you know, just just the love I got after the game uh uh uh felt good for sure. And then but you know, got to keep working and keep going from here. I’m guessing in all levels of basketball, you’ve gone back and looked at the film. So, what was the film review like for you as you evaluated your play Friday? Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think that um you know, I was I was it looked like I was in pace with with everybody on the court. Um just did my best trying to be in the right spots. Um there was a couple play calls I got to clean up. Um but other than that, I think uh moving in the right direction. What’s the hardest thing to learn? The offensive things or the defensive principles? Um I I’d say just the the terminology of it all really. Um I think um offense, you know, once we start playing in that in that pace after stuff, we get um you know, moving and then it’s it’s just basketball after that. Um so that that comes pretty naturally. But like the terminology, every team got different you know they call different actions one thing. So so learning that and then not saying my old team’s action and saying you know you know this one. What was the one person or message you got maybe in the last 48 hours that’s you’d like to share that’s a good message? I mean I I I got a I got a group chat with with my whole family. Um so like they they all sent a a good message saying that they’re proud of me and you know to keep working. So every every message was was much appreciated. Everybody who reaches this level has believe in theirelves obviously. But what does a game like Friday do okay? No for sure. I mean, it it definitely feels good to to to play some some real minutes and and get that under your belt. Um, and then to be able to uh, you know, produce as well in those minutes. Um, shows myself, proves to myself that, you know, I I could do it and I belong. And, um, you know, and that gives me much more confidence coming into, you know, next opportunity. If you’re hearing from family, do you respond to everybody? Do you read? How long did that take you? No, I mean, I I I try to respond to everybody. Um, like cuz you know, everybody’s been with me on this journey. It’s not just me. I mean, I’m I’m in the building now, but like everybody has been with me, you know, since growing up, supporting me in in any way that they can. So, it’s it’s really a whole village village on this journey. You have any friends and family in Chicago who were there? In Chicago, I had some some homies from uh Oregon State uh that came to the game and and uh showed, but I didn’t have any family out there. No. Yeah. Was there anybody you heard from you didn’t expect to hear from? Whether it was uh your high coach or something? I mean, like, anybody that you were like, “Wow, I didn’t I didn’t I mean, I I’m pretty I’m pretty close with with uh you know, my high school coach and the trainers that I grew up uh working out with. Like, I still try to keep in touch with them. Still work out with them when I can and and you know, they they open the gym for me when I go back home, too. So, it’s much appreciated. Um, but uh really really just everybody I try to stay connected with.” What the what it means to have a practice? I mean, that is, you know, like there guys that have come from this team that haven’t practiced here. What what how does that kind of get you grounded, you know, when you have to figure it out on the fly in games to get one of these to get everything kind of situated? Yeah, for sure. I mean, it it kind of just goes into building the habits. Um, you know, the stuff that I could pick up from watching film, but then actually getting the reps in practice in a, you know, somewhat controlled environment. Um, you know, gives me confidence for for the game. So when I when the opportunity comes, I’m in the right situation. I know what to say and all that type of stuff. So yeah, you reminded me a little of of Ben Shepard with how much you’re smiling. Yeah, smile always a thing or did you ever get voted best smile anytime? Nah, everybody tells me I’m always smiling, but I mean it’s my regular face, so I don’t know. Don’t stop. Got you. Appreciate it.

Rick Carlisle, Bennedict Mathurin, Jay Huff and Ethan Thompson spoke with the media after practice on Sunday.

0:00 – Rick Carlisle
8:18 -Bennedict Mathurin
12:18 – Jay Huff
17:07 – Ethan Thompson