Pacers Could Keep Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson With NBA Team Early in Season

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Pacers Could Keep Kobe Brown, Jalen Slawson With NBA Team Early in Season

Grant Afseth · Roundtable Sports

Fri, Sep 25, 2026 ·

4 min read

Pacers Trust Brown and Slawson to Provide Depth

Wu said both players earned the coaching staff's trust with how they finished last season.

"I think Kobe and Slaw had a lot of growth towards the end of the year last year," Wu said. "I think that growth has led to the coaching staff trusting them and being able to kind of rely on them if they get in a [pinch] and put them in the game. So we'll see kind of how the season goes. I think early on I wouldn't be surprised if they're with the Pacers just being able to contribute like we were talking about earlier. Depth is extremely important, and I think Kobe and Slaw will provide a lot of that for the roster."

Kobe Brown Made Strong Impression After Trade

Brown came to Indiana from the LA Clippers with Ivica Zubac on Feb. 5. He had averaged 2.9 points in 34 games for Los Angeles . In 27 games with the Pacers, including 10 starts, he averaged 9.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists in 24.7 minutes. He shot 50.3% from the field and 43.3% from 3-point range. The 2023 first-round pick re-signed on a two-way deal in July.

Jalen Slawson Earned Opportunity With Pacers

Slawson spent most of 2025-26 with the Boom. In 37 G League games, he averaged 19.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 5.5 assists with 2.4 blocks. He led the Boom with 713 points, 202 assists, and 87 blocks, finished second on the team in rebounds and steals, and became the first player in franchise history named first-team All-Defensive in the G League.

Indiana signed him to a two-way contract in late February, after Quenton Jackson moved to a standard deal. He averaged 7.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in 13 games with the Pacers, six of them starts, and made 37.5% of his 3-pointers. At Summer League in July, he averaged 20.8 points and 3.2 blocks. He re-signed July 22, and Indiana waived guard Taelon Peter around the same time to clear a two-way spot.

The Sacramento Kings drafted Slawson 54th overall in 2023 out of Furman, where he was the Southern Conference Player of the Year. He played for Sacramento as a rookie and spent 2024-25 with the Osceola Magic in the G League before landing with the Boom.

Braden Smith Expected to Get Heavy G League Reps

Smith's path is different. Wu said the rookie point guard is still adapting to playing faster than he did at Purdue.

"I always feel like the more you play, the better it is for your development," Wu explained. "I totally understand what you're saying. Do you want him to play the same role with the Boom as he would like to play for us? I think the more reps he gets with the Boom, the more it prepares him for whatever minutes he would eventually get [with] the Pacers. So I'd like to see him play as much as he can when he's with the Boom."

"One thing I go back to [in] his development is learn to play fast with us," Wu continued. "I think that's something he's trying to adapt to, is playing faster than he was accustomed to, maybe at Purdue. I think that's where you get those reps in the Boom game. And over the course of, if he gets 40 to 45 games with the Boom, you get that many minutes, that many possessions. That'll prepare him for the future when he has to step into a role that's different than that."

Smith, the 38th pick in June, signed Aug. 17. He averaged 7.0 assists in five Summer League games.

The Boom begin their second season in Noblesville this fall with a new head coach. Pacers media day is Monday, and camp opens Tuesday.