Pacers James Wiseman comes to Indiana relieved

He has already impressed his teammates in the same way. Turner invited Jackson and Wiseman to his home in Dallas for practice a few weeks before camp began to build chemistry between the big men, and the 6-11 Turner was also impressed with Wiseman’s size and athleticism.

“I’ve always been a fan of James,” Turner said. “For one thing, I feel like he passes the eye test. He’s huge. He has an overall yield of 7:1. Very long, very athletic, he has all the (tangible) things. …James is just someone who needs a chance.” . I have a feeling that once he gets the opportunity he’s been looking for, he’ll take it and run with it. He’s someone I’ll be around to see him succeed.

Wiseman admits the Pacers’ style of play will be an adjustment. They play much faster than the Pistons and he also has to get used to their defensive principles. Particularly on ball screens, the Pacers have reduced the number of times they use their centers in drop coverage and more often put them “up to touch,” meaning they defend close enough to the screen height to close the screen touch, making it harder for the ball-handler to get around them. Because of these factors, Wiseman has had to spend much of his offseason working on his conditioning, but he has seen results from that work.

“I’m already a big guy who can run the floor, who’s mobile,” Wiseman said. “They play a fast-paced offense, so I should be able to fit in really well. I just have to be able to do the little details, be on top of things, talk defense, bring my personality to the game as far as defense goes, be able to be an anchor.