Nate Taylor

nate.taylor@indystar.com

ORLANDO, Fla. – They are friends, yet they are competing against one another to further their careers. Shayne Whittington and Rakeem Christmas are young frontcourt players who have uncertain futures with the Indiana Pacers.

Both are trying to make a strong impression for team President Larry Bird and coach Nate McMillan during the NBA Orlando summer league. Their production through three games, however, has been inconsistent, making their futures murkier.

Entering Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Christmas has been the better player by a slight margin, averaging eight points, six rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. Whittington has averaged 7.3 points, four rebounds and 0.6 blocks.

Though their statistics are not remarkable, Whittington and Christmas have shown flashes of their abilities – an impressive low-post move, a block that leads to a basket in transition, swishing an occasional midrange jumper. The problem is that those moments occur too infrequently.

Assistant coach Popeye Jones, who is coaching the Pacers' summer league team, has had both play center to allow rookie Georges Niang to play as a stretch power forward. The position is new for Whittington, who is more of a traditional power forward.

Whittington, 25, has struggled to score in the paint when guarded by multiple defenders. He has excelled at setting screens, but he recorded just one rebound in Saturday’s game. Whittington understands that collecting rebounds, even more than scoring, is critical to his success.

“That’s what’s going to get me paid,” he said Tuesday. “If I can at least even tip the ball, that’ll stop their transition. Me going for (the ball) every single time is something that I have to do.”

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The odds of Whittington and Christmas remaining on the roster when next season starts appeared to take a significant hit Wednesday.

Bird, in an offseason full of moves, acquired forward Jeremey Evans in a trade Wednesday from the Dallas Mavericks. In the past month, the Pacers have bolstered their frontcourt by adding Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson and Evans. The Pacers now have 15 players on the roster, the most they can carry during the regular season. Whittington’s contract, worth $980,431, will not become fully guaranteed until Aug. 1. Less than half of Christmas’ $1.05 million salary for next season is guaranteed. The Pacers could waive one of them in the next few months if they add another player.

“I would love to know (my future) and I’m so settled in in Indianapolis that it would suck to leave, but life throws curveballs,” Whittington said. “You never know what’s going to happen or what’s around the corner. All I can focus on are these summer league games.”

Last season, Whittington and Christmas spent most of their time playing for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, the Pacers' NBA Development League affiliate. Whittington averaged 12.1 points and 7.9 rebounds in 40 games for the Mad Ants. Christmas, 24, led the team with 13.9 points and had 7.1 rebounds in 48 games.

“The D-League is not a demotion,” Whittington said. “It was a chance for us to develop our skills. I feel like both of us are trying to show that we actually did develop down there during these summer league games.”

When last season ended, Whittington and Christmas continued to work. They spent almost every day from May to July at Bankers Life Fieldhouse building strength and improving their quickness. Many of those sessions featured Whittington and Christmas competing in games of one-on-one.

“We’ve helped each other a lot,” Christmas said. “We both go at each other, we push each other and that’s what teammates do. Every time we’re out there, if something is going wrong with him, I tell him. Anytime I’m doing something wrong, he tells me. We have that type of friendship.”

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But Jones wants to see more from both players.

He wants Whittington to be more aggressive on offense. The biggest issue with Christmas appears to be his fitness and stamina. During Tuesday’s game, Christmas had a strong stretch in which he recorded a block and finished the sequence with a two-hand dunk. But soon after, he asked for Jones to give him a breather on the bench.

“He kind of just stopped playing,” Jones said. “You've still got to keep playing. We’re trying to build that mentality with him. Sure, I’m going to get you out, but you have to play through it until I can get you out. It’s not like you get 20 timeouts.”

After Tuesday’s game, Whittington and Christmas each voiced the same phrase when they self-evaluated their performance in summer league: “There’s always a lot more I could be doing.”

The friends will continue to cheer for one another during the remainder of the summer league. They know each basket scored and each rebound collected is what they need to focus on, not their unclear futures with the Pacers.

“You’ve just got to go out there, keep playing and see what happens,” Christmas said.

Call IndyStar reporter Nate Taylor at (317) 444-6484. Follow him on Twitter: @ByNateTaylor.

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