Team: Indiana Pacers · SG · Age 27 · Base role: two-way call-up; zero simultaneous healthy-night minutes
Projection card
| GP | MPG | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | 8.0 | 0.4 | 2.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.1 | .450 | .780 | 0.4 |
Nine-category: no rank. Points: two-way depth only. Dynasty: 350+.
Why the line looks like this
Thompson's official review says he is under two-way contract for 2026-27. He averaged 7.0/2.2/1.8 in 20.4 minutes over 32 NBA games and 27/7/6 in eight Noblesville appearances. The base projection discounts NBA opportunity, not his minor-league production. Pacers player review
Redraft, dynasty, and scenarios
- Redraft: no draft value; his 13-start 2025-26 sample is an injury exception, not a role forecast.
- Dynasty: hold only in 30-team or similarly deep formats.
- Floor: spends nearly the entire year with Noblesville.
- Ceiling: injuries reproduce a 20-minute call-up role and roughly 7/2/2.
Confidence
| Roster | Minutes | Rates | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium-high | Low | Medium | High |
Roster confidence is not fully high because Braden Smith's reported two-way requires one current slot to be opened.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Oregon State, four seasons (2017-21): 9.9 → 13.7 → 14.8 → 15.7 PPG with 3.5-4.5 APG; first-team All-Pac-12 (2021), 2021 Elite Eight run; finished seventh in program scoring (1,716) and third in assists (499). Then a four-year minor-league/international grind: Windy City Bulls (2021-23), Mexico City Capitanes (2023-24), Osos de Manatí of Puerto Rico's BSN (2024, No. 1 overall BSN draft pick), Osceola Magic (2024-25, including an Orlando two-way from February to July 2025 with no NBA appearance), Miami Exhibit 10 (waived October 2025), then Sioux Falls: 8 games at 26.9 PTS, 5.8 REB, 6.5 AST before Indiana called. Draft: undrafted (2021).
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 26 | IND | 32 | 20.4 | 7.0 | 2.2 | 1.8 | 0.6 | 0.3 | 1.2 | .378 | .787 | 0.8 |
NBA debut December 1, 2025 — the same day he signed the two-way. Career-high 24 points on April 1, 2026 vs Chicago.
Durability: No injury history of note; his 32-game NBA sample was bounded by the December signing date and two-way game limits, not health.
Trajectory: The record shows a legitimate 20-27 PPG G League shot-creator who needed four years and three leagues to get an NBA look, then shot only .378 from the field when the minutes were real. At 27 he is what he is: instant offense with modest efficiency. In 2026-27 he competes to stay on the two-way (Braden Smith's arrival threatens a slot) and to be the first guard call-up in Indiana's post-Haliburton-injury backcourt. He becomes fantasy-relevant only if multiple Pacers guards sit and he repeats the 20-minute bench-scorer role — and even then only in deep leagues.
Career sources: Wikipedia — Ethan Thompson, StatMuse 2025-26 season averages, Basketball-Reference, Oregon State bio
Open questions
- Is Thompson the two-way player displaced if Braden Smith signs?
- Can his high G League usage translate efficiently in a low-touch NBA role?