What happened: The Indiana Pacers marked the completion of Braden Smith's opening day of summer work. The team shared the milestone as its offseason program gets rolling ahead of the 2026-27 campaign.

Why it matters: Summer reps are where a young guard sharpens his game and stakes a claim to rotation minutes. For Indiana, early offseason work sets the tone for how Smith's role could take shape heading into next season.

What to watch: Watch how Smith builds through the rest of the summer program and whether he pushes into Indiana's plans for 2026-27.