Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
He’s been a quiet player all season, but D.J. Augustin is starting to make some noise for the Indiana Pacers.
Augustin had an outstanding Game 2 for the Pacers against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday in the NBA East playoffs. The Pacers pulled out a 113-98 victory, but were able to get key contributions from players like Augustin, who was on the court for 17 minutes.
He shot 2-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-4 in 3-pointers, plus 2-of-2 from the free-throw line for eight points. He also had three assists and didn’t have any turnovers. In the first game on Sunday.
Augustin is putting in good minutes for the Pacers, and that’s among the reasons the team has a 2-0 lead in the playoffs over the Hawks. During the regular season, he was relatively quiet for the Pacers although he wasn’t totally absent. Augustin played in 76 games and had five starts. He averaged 16.1 minutes per game, plus 4.7 points, 2.2 assists and 1.2 rebounds. From the floor, he shot 35 percent and was 35.3 percent in 3-pointers.
A spark that Augustin will give the Pacers is his free throw shooting, as he shot 83.8 percent from the charity stripe during the regular season.
It actually hasn’t been one of Augustin’s better seasons. In his carer, he’s averaging 24.5 minutes, 9.6 points, 40 assists and 1.8 rebounds. He didn’t manage to accomplish the things he has in the past this season, but perhaps Augustin is making up for it in the playoffs.
If that’s the case, then his timing is excellent.
