Braden Smith Fantasy Stats

Former Purdue Boilermaker point guard Braden Smith will get his first career start for the Indiana Pacers when the team faces the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night, according to the team. Smith is averaging 4.5 minutes played in four games this season but will fill in for the extremely shorthanded Pacers team on Monday night. The Pacers are without Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, among others, as they will take on the Hawks with Smith getting his first NBA starting nod.

Indiana Pacers guard Braden Smith said he is focused on turning in-game growth into daily progress after a rough Summer League, per Forbes' Tony East. The No. 38 pick shot just 26.5 percent across five games in Las Vegas, though he still averaged 6.8 points, 7.0 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. Smith called himself his own hardest critic and said he has been working on his ball handling, decision-making, and pace. The passing gives him a base, but the physicality on defense and lack of clean paint touches showed how far he has to go. With Tyrese Haliburton back and T.J. McConnell entrenched behind him, the Noblesville Boom should see plenty of Smith as a rookie. He is a development name, not a fantasy option.

The Indiana Pacers have signed guard Braden Smith to a two-way contract, the team announced Monday. Smith, the NCAA's all-time career assists leader at Purdue, landed with Indiana after the Pacers acquired the No. 38 pick from Chicago for Kam Jones, future second-round pick swaps, and cash considerations. He averaged 6.8 points, 7.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.6 steals across five Summer League starts, though he shot just 26.5 percent from the field. Smith joins Jalen Slawson and Kobe Brown on Indiana's two-way slate and should spend plenty of time with the G-League's Noblesville Boom. He is buried behind Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell, leaving him off fantasy radars barring a major role change.

Indiana Pacers guard Braden Smith is in line for a two-way deal after the team waived Ethan Thompson from his two-way contract, according to Spotrac's Keith Smith. Thompson's exit allows him to join Partizan in Serbia and clears a roster path for Smith, the No. 38 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. The former Purdue guard left college as the NCAA's all-time assists leader after averaging 14.3 points and 8.8 assists as a senior, and he flashed his passing in Las Vegas with a nine-assist Summer League finale. The fit is developmental, though. With Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, and T.J. McConnell ahead of him, Smith projects for heavy Noblesville Boom minutes and stays off the fantasy radar.