The Indiana Pacers are set to face the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Finals on June 4 (7:30 p.m. CT; ABC) after beating the New York Knicks in six games in the Eastern Conference Finals.
While star players Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam share most of the spotlight, former Belmont Bruins guard Ben Sheppard has carved out his own role on the Pacers in the 2024-25 season.
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Sheppard, 23, is in his second year with the Pacers after being drafted at No. 26 overall in 2023. Coming off the bench as a shooting guard, Sheppard averaged 5.3 points and 1.3 assists in 19.5 minutes per game during the regular season.
In the playoffs, he’s averaged 3.4 points and 14 minutes per game, with his best performance coming in the Pacers’ Game 4 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, when he scored 14 points and added three rebounds in 29 minutes.
In the Pacers’ series-clinching 125-108 win over the Knicks in Game 6, Sheppard played nearly the entire fourth quarter, adding two rebounds and three assists.
What to know about former Belmont star Ben Sheppard, shooting guard for Indiana Pacers
Sheppard was a four-year player for Belmont (2019-2023), signing with the Bruins after a successful high school career at Greater Atlanta Christian in Norcross, Georgia. The 6-foot-6 guard was an excellent shooter from distance with the Bruins, posting a .415 3-point shooting percentage as a senior.
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Sheppard finished with 1,516 points, 485 rebounds, 225 assists, and 126 steals in four years with the Bruins.
After being drafted in 2023 by the Pacers, Sheppard spent most of his rookie season in a limited role before seeing that role expand this past season. Sheppard is typically one of the first off-the-bench players for the Pacers, usually replacing starting shooting guard Andrew Nembhard.
Sheppard is in the second year of a rookie contract he signed in 2023. The Pacers exercised the club option for the 2025-26 season, keeping him in Indiana at least through next NBA season.
The Pacers are looking to win their first NBA championship. They last appeared in the NBA finals in 2000 when they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers.
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Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Indiana Pacers in 2025 NBA Finals: Ben Sheppard is former Belmont star