The 2023 NBA Draft is in the books, and the Indiana Pacers picks are Jarace Walker from Houston at No. 8, Ben Sheppard from Belmont at No. 26, Mojave King from G League Ignite at No. 47, and Isaiah Wong from Miami at No. 55. The franchise also made some shrewd trades and picked up two 2028 second-round picks, and a 2024 third-rounder. But let’s talk about the new player coming to Indy and give out some Pacers draft grades.

Round 1, pick No. 8: F Jarace Walker, Houston

The first Pacers draft grade is an A because Houston forward Jarace Walker gives the team everything they hoped to get in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Walker is an uber-athletic banger in the Aaron Gordon mold, and he has some surprisingly good (and growing) dribbling, shooting, and passing skills as well. Most of all, though, he is a strong, intense, lockdown defender who will give some of the best wings and bigs in the league fits next season.

The Houston freshman is a perfect fit next to Myles Turner, and the pair will quickly become one of (if not) the best defensive frontcourt in the NBA next season. His ability to play both individual and team defense will also help Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin develop defensively.

And the best part is the Pacers would have taken Walker at No. 7, but they got the Washington Wizards to come up a spot to draft Bilal Coulibaly and give them two future seconds for the honor.

Grade: A

Round 1, pick No. 26: G Ben Sheppard, Belmont

The current Indiana roster is starting to get a little full of young players after the last few NBA drafts. So, it makes sense that with the Pacers pick in the late first round the team took a bit of a gamble on a small-school player.

Ben Sheppard is a 6-foot-5, 195-pound guard from Belmont who shot 41.5% from 3-point range last season. He is a high-energy player who never stops moving, and can shoot the lights out.

The 21-year-old does have his limitations athletically, and his outside shooting improved relatively dramatically last season. But every NBA team needs more outside shooting, and this is a worthwhile gamble at pick No. 26.

Down the line, if Sheppard can prove he can play at the next level, he can be an excellent Buddy Hield replacement.

This Pacers draft grade is only a B+ because it’s not clear if Sheppard can play in the league, but if he can, this will jump to an A.

Grade: B+

Round 2, pick No. 47: G Mojave King, G League Ignite

This is the worst Pacers pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, and it's not bad at all. Indiana played some musical chairs in the late first and early second rounds and walked away a first-round pick next season. The trade looked like this:

Pacers get: Mojave King (No. 47 pick), 2024 first-round pick (Oklahoma City via Denver), cash considerations
Lakers get: Maxwell Lewis (No. 40 pick)
Nuggets get: Julian Strawther (No. 29 pick), Jalen Pickett (No. 32 pick), Hunter Tyson (No. 37 pick), 2024 second-round pick
Thunder get: 2029 first-round pick

Coming out of this with a first-rounder is great, and Mojave King is an interesting prospect. He’s a jack-of-all-trades, master of none guard who played in the G League with mixed results. At best, he can be a rotational guard who can come in and play defense and score a few points.

That’s not all that exciting, but it’s not bad by any means for a mid-second-round selection.

Grade: B-

Round 2, pick No. 55: G Isaiah Wong, Miami

Last but not least, the Pacers took Miami guard Isaiah Wong. The former Hurricane plays like a wing but is only 6-foot-3. Most importantly, though, he shot 38.4% from 3-point range last season and could develop into a sharpshooter in the pros.

Wong is a unique player and a project, but he knows how to play basketball and is a winner, helping Miami get to the Final Four last season. As a pick in the late second round, that’s about the best you are going to do.

Grade: B

Undrafted free agent: F/C Oscar Tshiebwe, Kentucky

This isn’t exactly part of the 2023 NBA Draft, but the Pacers made a solid move signing Kentucky big man and 2022 National Player of the Year Oscar Tshiebwe as an undrafted free agent.

As a 6-foot-9, back-to-the-basket center, Tshiebwe isn’t the perfect fit for the modern NBA game. However, he is a good player who had a lot of success in college, so taking a shot on him after the draft was over earns one more A for these Pacers' draft grades.