The Indiana Pacers feature a pretty stacked young lineup at the Orlando Summer League. There’s 10th overall pick Paul George, a do it all wing that will likely look like a future All-Start against the competition he’ll be seeing in Orlando. There’s also Lance Stephenson, the bullying combo guard who will attempt to prove every team that passed on him in the first round wrong. The final drafted rookie on the team is Magnum Rolle out of Louisiana Tech, a raw bigman with a lot of potential that will learn a lot in the summer league. Then there’s the undrafted Chris Kramer from Purdue, who is looking to make a splash after being overshadowed at Purdue by JaJuan Johnson, Robbie Hummel, and E’Twaun Moore.
Kramer finished his career in the Big Ten as a two-time Defensive Player of the Year, winning the award in 2008 and 2010, and a four-time member of the All-Big Ten Defensive team. His role with the Boilermakers was the same in his freshman year all the way through his senior year, play great defense and don’t make mistakes on offense. He never was a prolific scorer, topping out at only seven points per game. Through his four years with the school he set a record with 274 steals over the course of his season. His role in the NBA would be that of a Bruce Bowen type defensive player, but focused on defending opposing point and shooting guards.
In summer league a player like Kramer isn’t going to stand out on the box score, but may just win a roster spot if he impresses the coaching staff. Obviously, auditioning for someone like Larry Bird isn’t something that Kramer will do everyday, but with a strong defensive showing he may soon be calling Bird his employer. While it shouldn’t be expected that he’ll make the squad, Kramer is the player we think the Pacers will have an eye on, so at The Rookie Wall, we recommend the same.