Pacers sign Japanese superstar to compete as replacement for Tyrese Haliburton

Billy Heyen

Pacers sign Japanese superstar to compete as replacement for Tyrese Haliburton image

Any point guard that wears an Indiana Pacers uniform at any time this summer has a chance.

With Tyrese Haliburton facing a lost season because of his torn Achilles, the Pacers will take any and all auditioners for point guard. 

One of these, signed to the Summer League roster, is Keisei Tominaga.

Tominaga is an electric left-handed point guard from Japan.

He was a college fan favorite at Nebraska after averaging 39.8 points per game as a high school senior in Japan.

He went to junior college first, at Range Coller, and was a second-team JuCo All-American.

Then he spent three seasons with the Cornhuskers, developing into a double-digit scorer.

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He played for the Indiana Mad Ants in the G League in 2024-25, then recently signed in Japan's top division with Levanga Hokkaido.

Before he goes, Tominaga will try to impress the Pacers' leadership in the Vegas Summer League.

He's a great outside shooter at 6-foot-2, a skill he'll need to show early and often this summer to get a longer look.

Ironically, Tominaga's father is 6-foot-11, but Tominaga just got guard height.

He's made the most of it so far and will try to do so some more in Summer League.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle