INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana Pacers President Larry Bird hasn’t hidden his admiration for BYU’s Jimmer Fredette and Providence’s Marshon Brooks, two high-scoring guards expected to be picked in Thursday night’s NBA Draft.
“They’re both good players,” Bird said. “If you watch a lot of tape, if you’re out seeing them, they’re both going to be good NBA players.”
Pacers scouting director Ryan Carr isn’t sure either will be available by the time the Pacers are on the clock at No. 15.
“They’re both very talented players who have bright futures ahead of them,” Carr said. “There’s a chance both those guys get drafted before us.”
The Pacers often have said they need help at the shooting guard and power forward spots, but Bird said on Tuesday that he simply is looking for talent.
“We’re going to get a good player,” he said. “There’s going to be four guys I really like, and two of them are going to get to us. We just have to talk about it and get the best player.”
Fredette, the national player of the year, averaged 28.5 points per game last season at BYU. The Cougars won the regular-season title in the Mountain West Conference and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Fredette is known for his shooting range and accuracy, but critics question whether he can defend in the NBA.
“He’s athletically capable of doing it,” Carr said. “He had to carry a really high scoring load for his team to be successful, and they played a lot of zone so he could rest. We put him in some situations, opportunities to show that he can play defense, and he’ll make that transition fine. He’s a better athlete than people might think.”
Brooks was a third-team All-American last season after averaging 24.6 points as a senior. He scored 52 points in a game against Notre Dame and 43 against Georgetown. His stock improved during workouts, including one for the Pacers.
Bird said the Pacers won’t likely move up in the draft, but they could move down if the right player is available in a deal. He said moving up five spots or so wouldn’t make sense based on who is available.
“I’d like to get a player that can step in and play right away, even though he’s a rookie,” he said. “I think whoever we take is going to have an opportunity to play and help us.”
The nucleus of the team is point guard Darren Collison, forward Danny Granger and center Roy Hibbert. The other two starters, guard Paul George and forward Tyler Hansbrough, could be replaced in the starting lineup via the draft or free agency. Bird said he’d like to add enough depth to move some of his starters to the bench. Indiana also has the No. 42 pick.
“My goal here is to try to get the best bench I can possibly get,” he said. “I want 10 players I know I can depend on every night and be consistent.”
