Insider: Sight of rookie Whittington sign of times

ATLANTA –The sight was subtle but the statement was loud and clear.

On Wednesday night, the Indiana Pacers trailed by a large deficit to the Atlanta Hawks with nearly four minutes still remaining in the third quarter. The Pacers had fallen behind by 26 or more points for the second straight game in which they never once held the lead. In other words, once again, the Pacers could not compete.

Then, something unusual happened: rookie Shayne Whittington walked to the Philips Arena scorers' table.

The final result, a predictable 110-91 loss to the best team in the Eastern Conference, will be forgotten amid a string of six straight losses in which the Pacers – without the pixie dust from earlier this season – looked overwhelmed by a clearly better opponent. However, the appearance of Whittington will last as a more significant moment because, for the first time the Pacers (15-29) revealed something that looked like a plan moving forward, which isn't simply holding on to the fleeting hope of crawling into the postseason.

"Try some energy. Try something different," was how Pacers coach Frank Vogel explained the Whittington entrance with 3:53 remaining in the third quarter of a 79-53 blowout.

No one is mentioning the 'T' word, but the way the season is going, its time for the Pacers to see what they have in players like Damjan Rudež and Whittington and develop their rookies.

So during the third quarter on Wednesday, Whittington relieved starting center Roy Hibbert as the third substitute off the bench. He played 7 minutes, 50 seconds, made two of his four shot attempts and scored six points. A few plays into his run – only the second time this season that Whittington has appeared on the floor before fourth-quarter garbage time – he made an impressive pass to find C.J. Miles for a dunk. Overall, Whittington finished with a plus/minus on the positive side, a one. All of the Pacers' starters were minus-12 or poorer.

"I felt more comfortable out there just because… (Vogel) seems like he instilled a little trust in me to go out there," said Whittington, who had heard earlier from his coach to stay ready. "It felt good and I felt good."

But, no, Whittington isn't a savior. During his short time on the floor against Atlanta, Whittington committed two personal fouls and admitted how he did not "look in shape." After all, Whittington's not just a rookie, but also a rookie who almost nine months ago suffered a broken leg and has only appeared in 13 of the team's 44 games.

However, yes, Whittington is a solution in a season fading fast.

The Pacers have tried to hold it together for months with backups as featured players and have slipped into their third extended losing streak of the season. They're not as sharp defensively as they once were after allowing four different individual players to score 37 or more points over the past eight games. On Wednesday, the Pacers could not contain the balanced Hawks from hitting 50 percent from the floor and 44.8 from the 3-point arc. Also, their offensive principles have gone in disarray as the team has committed 57 turnovers in three consecutive losses.

So, it makes sense that Vogel and Pacers president of basketball operations Larry Bird have engaged in discussions about giving Whittington some time on the floor.

"We've been talking about that, Larry and I have been talking about that," Vogel said. "(If the) game's not going the way we want, just throw him out there and see … give the other team a different look."

More than just that, the Pacers would be giving themselves a good, hard look at Whittington. Already, they've shown confidence in Whittington even after he broke the fibula in his left leg last spring and still signed him as a free agent. So, the Pacers brought Whittington in to rehabilitate with the team training staff and got him out of a walking boot and off a crutch, as he recalled, days after his arrival to Indianapolis.

"They got me … to walk normal, to put a little pressure on it and get my normal gait back in my foot," Whittington said. "They saw something."

Now, with the way the season is going, the Pacers could see more of Whittington.

"Maybe," Vogel would only offer on the topic of Whittington getting more early time on the court. "Just try different things."

Call Star reporter Candace Buckner at (317) 444-6121. Follow her on Twitter: @CandaceDBuckner.