Pacers must soon trim roster, leaving 3 players out of the mix

With the Indiana Pacers’ last preseason game upon him, rookie forward Kadeem Jack went about his normal routine.

After Wednesday’s practice, Jack lingered on the main court to shoot free throws. As players bee-lined for the locker room, Jack moved to a different basket for solo instruction with Pacers assistant Nate McMillan. Only Myles Turner remained on the court longer than Jack, a late addition who signed a training camp deal with the Pacers after the team had already played two exhibition games.

But Jack still wasn’t done. He walked off the Bankers Life Fieldhouse floor, grabbed two basketballs and moved to the practice court to shoot some more by himself.

“These guys practice a lot, and I just feel like I have a lot of energy,” Jack said, explaining why his post-practice workout can run just as long as the time he puts in during the actual practice. “So I still want to get a lot of shots up. Go to the practice court and shoot off the gun (which feeds him the ball), just to make sure I keep getting better.”

Jack, a 6-9 wing from Rutgers, will almost certainly be one of three players soon waived by the Pacers. All NBA teams must set opening night rosters by Monday, and with 18 players around for training camp, the Pacers front office must have those sit-down conversations that no player wants to hear.

However, as his time in Indianapolis draws to a close -- the Pacers will face the Charlotte Hornets in Fort Wayne on Thursday in their final preseason game -- it will be a reminder for Jack that his professional career is only beginning. Barring a surprising development, Jack, along with second-year player C.J. Fair, will be waived by the team but extended contracts to join the NBA Development League affiliate Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

“Coming here was an opportunity. My goal is to be in the NBA," said Fair, a 6-8 forward who spent his first professional season with the Mad Ants last year. "If it happens with this team, that would be great. If not, then I think I’ll just weigh my options and see if any other teams are interested. If all things fail, I can go back to Fort Wayne.”

The Pacers purchased the Mad Ants to keep a closer eye on developing prospects such as Jack and Fair. Both players fall in line with how the Pacers want to play. Last season, Fair practiced with the Pacers during training camp, then moved on to Fort Wayne and appeared in 50 games. Fair largely played the stretch-4 and averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

Moving forward, Pacers coach Frank Vogel would like Fair to develop his 3-point percentage (he only connected on 27.4 percent last season) but said the team likes him as a prospect.

“I just think he’s more mature and makes less mistakes,” Vogel said about the difference between Fair’s two training camps. “(Fair) was more effective in driving the basketball, but I really want him to try to get to that 40 percent (in 3-point shooting), but he’s definitely improved.”

Besides Fair and Jack, there remains one more cut; the predictable choice would be Toney Douglas. Though Douglas signed a partially-guaranteed deal with the Pacers in July as the 16th player on a roster already filled to 15, he has spent training camp picking up new fans in the Pacers’ locker room.

A self-proclaimed “grinder,” Douglas has played on six teams before the start of his seventh NBA season. He smiles often and speaks affirmatively; so many tours around the league hasn’t hardened Douglas. So even with the deadline approaching and his fate in Indianapolis unsure, Douglas remains optimistic.“It’s a tough situation for our front office,” Paul George said last week. “We feel Toney is the makeup of this team. His pressure, his unselfishness is what we hung our hat on – really being the identity of this team. Playing with him and having him a part of this team, it just brings me back to what we used to be. It’s going to be a tough decision for us.”

“I hope I’m on this team because I feel like I can help this team. I want to be here. Hopefully, (the feeling) is the same for the coaches and Larry (Bird) and whoever makes the decision,” Douglas said. “I’m confident but at the end of the day, it’s out of my control.”

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