The Indiana Pacers entered Summer League with a full roster, yet head coach Rick Carlisle still found time to scout. His latest find: Yuki Kawamura, the 5-foot-7 Japanese point guard who has logged 40 NBA games so far. After stints with the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls, Kawamura joined the Pacers’ Summer League squad and has already averaged 10.0 points and 3.5 assists in his first two outings. The Pacers sit at 1-1 and close their run against the Toronto Raptors and Minnesota Timberwolves.
What did Rick Carlisle say about Kawamura?
Speaking on the ESPN broadcast of the Pacers’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers, Carlisle heaped praise on Kawamura. “He’s an easy guy to like,” Carlisle said, via Scott Horner of The Indianapolis Star. “He just kind of explodes into the game. When the coach points to him on the bench, he just flies up to the scorer’s table, and then stuff just happens. He really knows how to play. He’s seeing things before they happen. He has a great sense for how to draw contact and put the defense in jail. He goes hard.”
How is Kawamura fitting in?
Kawamura isn’t the only Pacers Summer League player turning heads. Jalen Slawson just posted 26 points, five rebounds and one block on 8-for-16 shooting. Across his Summer League run, Slawson is averaging 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 steal and 3.0 blocks. Carlisle now faces tough decisions after Summer League and before training camp.
Tracing Kawamura’s NBA path
Standing at 5-foot-7, Kawamura was the smallest player in the NBA for the past two seasons. He went undrafted in 2023, returned to Japan, then signed a two-way deal with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2024. As a rookie he played 22 games, averaging 1.6 points and 0.9 assists. After Memphis he joined the Chicago Bulls last year, mostly suiting up for their G League affiliate, the Windy City Bulls. In 18 NBA games for Chicago he averaged 3.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists, but dominated in the G League at 18.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 11.0 assists per game.
Where Pacers stand now
The Pacers last took the floor on April 12, 2026, falling 121-133 to the Detroit Pistons. Their recent form reads 1 win and 4 losses in the last five outings, with the most recent result a fourth straight defeat.
