Jalen Slawson
Slawson enters the 2026-27 season as a two-way energy forward fighting for third-unit minutes and spot duty as a small-ball five, not as a locked-in rotation piece.
Role
He is on a two-way contract, which caps his NBA active days, and camp sightings place him in Indiana's third unit rather than the first or second group. At an intrasquad scrimmage called FanJam on Sunday, October 4, 2026 (reported October 5), Slawson played for the non-starter 'Blue team' and, per the front office, was being used as the team's third-string center behind Jay Huff. Pacers general manager Chad Buchanan said on September 27, 2026 that head coach Rick Carlisle 'flirts with Jalen Slawson a little there at the five at times' as small-ball center depth, and that Slawson and fellow two-way wing Kobe Brown are trusted enough that the front office 'wouldn't be surprised if they're with the Pacers, just being able to contribute' early in the season. A separate camp report from early October groups him with Quenton Jackson, Ben Sheppard, Kobe Brown and Keba Keita as Indiana's third unit.
Front office comments from September 27, 2026 single him out, along with Kobe Brown, as a two-way player the staff trusts to contribute early rather than stash in the G League, and the coaching staff is already experimenting with him as a small-ball center, which could open a specific, unclaimed niche role (rim-running, switchable defense, chase-down blocks) that last season's small sample (13 games played) hinted at.
He is on a two-way deal, which limits how many NBA games he can be active for regardless of performance, he was slotted on the reserve side of Indiana's October 4 intrasquad scrimmage rather than with the main rotation groups, and he is directly competing with fellow two-way forward Kobe Brown for the same bench minutes, with no indication yet that he has separated from that competition.
Where analysts split
The open question in current camp coverage is not whether Slawson makes the active roster, but which of the two two-way forwards, Slawson or Kobe Brown, gets more of the early-season NBA minutes, and whether Slawson's role settles as a wing or as situational small-ball center depth behind Jay Huff and Obi Toppin.
Research confidence: reported. Outlooks are grounded in web search over current reporting and refreshed through the season.
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