Pacers sign Langston Galloway, round out training camp roster

Sep 24, 2022 - 12:06 AM

With only one weekend left in the NBA offseason, the Pacers are still making tweaks to their training camp roster, announcing today in a press release that they’ve signed combo guard Langston Galloway, forward Justin Anderson, and center Norvel Pelle.

Indiana previously had a 20-man roster, so Bennie Boatright, Gabe York, and David Stockton — all of whom were signed last week in conjunction with the addition of James Johnson — were waived, presumably with the intention of joining the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, where the former two played last season.

Galloway is entering his ninth NBA season and has played for the Knicks, Pelicans, Kings, Pistons, Nets, and Bucks, with his most recent stops in Brooklyn and Milwaukee occurring in reaction to the abundance of players who were out due to health and safety protocols. Over those eight games, while on separate 10-day hardship exception deals with both teams, the 30-year-old averaged 2.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, shooting 40 percent on twos and 12 percent from three. Galloway also played for Team USA during both the June and August World Cup Qualifying windows this summer, tallying 18 points against Uruguay as well as 14 in the most recent win over Colombia.

According to Scott Agness of Fieldhouse Files, Galloway’s contract is non-guaranteed, as is also the case for Johnson, who arguably fills more of a need, being that he is taller than 6-foot-6 and doesn’t player center — an archetype in short supply on the current roster. That said, it seems unlikely that either player will factor into the regular rotation, so the decision on which of them sticks, assuming one or the other does, will likely come down to intangibles like locker room presence and veteran leadership.

“A couple of years ago, our MVP was Al Jefferson,” Kevin Pritchard said following the end of the tumultuous 2020-21 season. “I don’t know if we have an Al Jefferson. So I’ve tasked our NBA staff, I’ve told them we need somebody who sits on the bench and is good enough to play but holds everybody accountable. When you have a locker room that holds each other accountable, that isn’t afraid of tough love, willing to give it and accept it (that’s good). This past team might have been too nice. We need somebody who will step up. I challenged a couple of players, but, you know, we might not have it.”

Justin Anderson, meanwhile, last played for the Pacers on a pair of 10-day contract at the end of last season, earning six starts after being named G League Player of the Week with the Mad Ants. As a first-round pick for the Mavericks in 2015, Anderson has long-term experience with Rick Carlisle, including when he was called up earlier in the season as a replacement player.

For now, the Pacers have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, with Oshae Brissett on a non-guaranteed deal. In addition to Galloway, Anderson, and Pelle, Johnson and Deivydas Sirvydis are joining for camp, along with Kendall Brown on two-way contract.