'DUNK OF THE YEAR?!?!' Watch Johnny Furphy throw it down in NBA Summer League vs. Bulls
The 20-year-old who just finished his Indiana Pacers rookie season wound up and threw down a dunk Monday against the Chicago Bulls' Noa Essengue in the second quarter.
Haliburton, recovering from Achilles tendon surgery, responded on social media: "Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh🤯" and "Your favorite players (sic) favorite player".
It's not Furphy's first rim rattler: He brought the Pacers bench to its feet with a similar play late in the regular season.
Furphy, picked 35th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft, appeared in 50 games as a rookie, averaging 2.1 points.
JOHNNY FURPHY PULLED THIS ONE ALL THE WAY BACK 😱 pic.twitter.com/EYONxalG8w
Your favorite players favorite player https://t.co/Gkijg68rlV
Johnny MF Furphy sheeeeeesh🤯
DUNK OF THE YEAR?!?! 😱JOHNNY FURPHY with the BIG-TIME POSTER DUNK!@Pacers pic.twitter.com/xPe0qq2Vd2
Johnny.Furphy.🖼️🖼️🖼️ pic.twitter.com/9Temt0zJr0
Soooo Johnny Furphy just caught a body in summer league. Prayers up to the Chicago Bulls player.#Pacers pic.twitter.com/k1bEvzAT15
DAWG WHO IS JOHNNY FURPHY??? 😯pic.twitter.com/zSeHSX2b2z
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The Indiana Pacers weren't an NBA Summer League headliner for obvious reasons. As tends to be the case, the Eastern Conference champions' success meant they weren't sending marquee names to Las Vegas. The Pacers had just two players on the summer roster who will start the season on standard, full-time contracts. Both of them — wing Johnny Furphy and guard Kam Jones — were second-round picks as the Pacers did not have a first-round pick in either of the past two drafts. They didn't have a single first-round pick on the Summer League roster and their leading 2024-25 scorer on the roster was two-way contract guard Quenton Jackson, who played just one summer game before he was effectively shut down with leg soreness. 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RayJ Dennis — who appeared in 11 games with the Pacers last year compared to 36 G League games — started at point guard in four of the Pacers' five Summer League games and the comfort he earned in the Pacers system was evident. With him at the helm, the Pacers' Summer squad functioned very similarly to the regular season and playoff edition. He obviously wasn't dealing with nearly the same level of offensive talent or working against nearly the same level of defensive prowess, but he kicked the ball ahead to keep the Pacers attacking in transition and kept it moving from side to side when they were in the half court. The 6-2, 180-pound right-hander has a tight handle and is seemingly no less comfortable going to his left or passing with his left hand than he is with his right and that's helpful in keeping the ball popping. In four games, Dennis posted 29 assists against 15 turnovers. 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All of that suggests his crafty game translates to at least the Summer League level and has potential to translate to the NBA. Still, there were moments when he forced action and made ill-advised shots or home-run passes into traffic. Defensively he had some positive moments and was willing to guard 94 feet, but there were times he was swallowed up on screens or put on skates by opposing ball-handlers. He had seven steals in four games which shows some opportunism, but the ball was on the floor a lot in the Pacers' Summer League games, so that's only so impressive. Jones has some time to work on everything he learned in Summer League and he does have a standard contract which gives him an obvious advantage. That being said, there probably is some time in Noblesville in his future and he does have work to do to to make himself a more trustworthy defender than Jackson and floor leader than Dennis. 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Meanwhile, the 6-4 Peter showed how he led Division I in true shooting percentage this season at Liberty. He was dynamite in transition and around the rim and showed reliable shooting range. He averaged 9.5 points per game on 57.1% shooting, He was just 4-of-15 from 3-point range but showed a smooth stroke that projects to be much better over time. Both seem deserving of two-way deals, but Peter seems to have an edge because he's this year's second-round pick and because the undersized Freeman functions as a center but with power forward size. Freeman would probably be the more effective of the two for the Boom, but Peter might have a better chance to add something for the Pacers. Of the players not in the mix for Pacers roster spots — be they standard or two-way — forwards Phillip Wheeler and Robert Baker appeared to help themselves the most. Wheeler started all five games and averaged 13.2 points per game, which put him fifth on the squad behind Jackson, Freeman, Dennis and Jones. 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