Ohio State basketball: Duane Washington signs with Pacers

After going undrafted last night, the former Ohio State basketball player signed a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers.

Former Ohio State basketball player Duane Washington decided to forego his final season of eligibility to head into the NBA Draft. Last night didn’t quite go as he planned though as he ended up going undrafted. But it wasn’t all bad news for Washington last night.

Washington has signed a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers. As a Pacers fan, this is honestly the best-case scenario for me. I know the Pacers’ roster very well. Signing Duane is actually a good fit for both parties and involves very little risk for Indiana as well.

The Pacers need some scoring off the bench. They traded Aaron Holiday last night in another draft-night deal for draft pick Isaiah Jackson. T.J. McConnell is a free agent. They did also draft Chris Duarte, but that still leaves them thin at the guard spot off the bench. This is where Washington steps in.

Washington is a bucket-getter. Plain and simple. He’s a guy who can come off the bench and put some points on the board in about 10 minutes of playing time. That’s what his role would be with the Pacers. Signing a two-way deal also gives the Pacers flexibility as to how they want to use him.

Washington will likely spend the majority of his time in Fort Wayne with the Mad Ants. That’s probably for the best as he needs some refinement in his game before he’s ready to play at the NBA level. But if he plays well in Fort Wayne, he could get a call up to the Pacers by the end of the year.

Ideally, Washington puts up points in Fort Wayne and shoots it well from three. Then the Pacers decide to bring him up to be a nice role guy off the bench. I think he fits well in the Indiana locker room as well. This could be a great spot for him to start his NBA career.