T.J. Warren is one of those players who was neither on the Indiana Pacers or the Sacramento Kings roster when the NBA India Games were announced last December.
A five-year veteran, he was a key acquisition for the Pacers, who were dealing with the loss of Thaddeus Young this past offseason and could possibly miss Victor Oladipo for much of the upcoming season.
Background
T.J. Warren was born on September 5, 1993 in Durham, North Carolina.
High school & College experience
Warren graduated from high school from Brewster Academy but also went to Riverside High School and Word of God Christian Academy.
MORE: Pacers' roster for the NBA India Games
For college, he committed to North Carolina State. He spent two years playing for the NC State Wolfpack and received a lot of individual recognition, especially in his second year.
For the 2013-14 season, Warren and NC State went 22-14. He was named the ACC Player of the Year, the first player from the college to be given that award in nearly a decade. He was also named to First Team All-ACC and received a selection to the Consensus second-team All-American.
Forgoing the final two years of college, Warren declared for the NBA Draft.
NBA career
Warren was picked by the Phoenix Suns with the 14th overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft.
Here's how Warren's numbers have progressed in major stat categories since he joined the NBA:
| MPG | PPG | RPG | 3P% | |
| 2014-15 | 15.4 | 6.1 | 2.1 | .238 |
| 2015-16 | 22.8 | 11.0 | 3.1 | .400 |
| 2016-17 | 31.0 | 14.4 | 5.1 | .265 |
| 2017-18 | 33.0 | 19.6 | 5.1 | .222 |
| 2018-19 | 31.6 | 18.0 | 4.0 | .428 |
As the above table shows, Warren's numbers have seen considerable growth with an increase in playing time. He evolved from a player who received D-League assignments with the Bakersfield Jam in his rookie season to become an integral part of the Suns' rotation by the end his rookie contract.
That led to the Suns and Warren coming to an agreement on a 4-year $47 million extension in the 2018 offseason.
Up until last season, his production kept improving but in 2018-19, Warren took another step, one that would make him more valuable in the league. He added a reliable three-point shot to his game. In his first four seasons, on an average of 1.3 3-point attempts, he made 28.3% of them. However, this past season, on 4.2 attempts, he knocked down 42.8% of them.
MORE: Pacers' coaching staff for the NBA India Games 2019
Prior to the 2019 NBA Draft, the Pacers acquired Warren and the 32nd pick in the 2019 Draft in exchange for cash. The Indiana franchise then traded that pick to the Miami Heat in exchange for three future second-round picks.
Skill set
To a team that could possibly miss Oladipo for the better part of the 2019-20 season, Turner, as a wing, provides the team with another player capable of creating his own shot.
While the Pacers' defensive scheme could him improve in that regard, his shot-making gives them another much-needed option on offence.
For more updates and stories on the NBA India Games 2019, you can follow NBA.com's page dedicated to the historic event.