'Kicking goals': Furphy says he's just scratching surface

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Australian second year wing Johnny Furphy admits he has work to do but "I'm pretty young, so I think I’m just scratching the surface."

Melbourne-born Furphy, 21, missed 18 of the Indiana Pacers 36 games in 2025-26 with an ankle injury. He has started four of the Pacers last five games and is on NBA Slam Dunk champion Vince Carter's ultimate dunk contest wishlist.

"I think compared to last year, I feel like I’m more comfortable coming into the second year," Furphy told Indiana basketball legend Quinn Buckner in the Pacers Playroom.

"I know what to expect. There’s not gonna be as many surprises as it was last year. Obviously it’s a long, long year, so I’m feeling a lot more comfortable and I’m excited.

"I’m pretty young, so I think I’m just scratching the surface."

Buckner, 71, who won an NBA Championship alongside Indiana legend Larry Bird with the Boston Celtics in 1984, showed plenty of admiration for the athletic 2.03m wing out of Kansas.

"I don’t know if anybody could understand fully what it’s like to be an international player in a game like this," Buckner asked Furphy.

"You gotta make those adjustments. How have you been able to do that?

"Obviously I gotta be able to hit open shots," Furphy said.

"And so that’s so important, being as consistent as possible. I’ve had a lot of support from the coaching staff, a lot of individual workouts, helping me just become more consistent with my shots. So still a long way to go.

"I feel like I’ve always been the youngest and smallest guy on every team I’ve played for, so I am familiar with how it is. But this is just on a bigger scale.

"Like some of the guys that are just genuine athletes. It's such a big part of the game, the physicality. Just scratching the surface."

In late November, Indiana Pacers news site 8pts9secs.com published a story with the headline "Pacers regret in drafting Johnny Furphy grows as Ajay Mitchell shines".

Jack Simone wrote: "Johnny Furphy has enjoyed a few highlight plays during his time with the Indiana Pacers, but Ajay Mitchell looks to be blossoming into an absolute star for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Indiana drafted him with the No. 35 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Five selections into the second round. But three spots later, the Thunder took Mitchell.

"It’s nearly impossible to find impact players (in the second round), and the teams that do are raved about for their ability to scout talent. Furphy is a fine player. He’s shown flashes of solid play. But right now, Mitchell is the third-leading scorer on a Thunder team that has started the year 13-1.

"Should the Pacers have taken Mitchell over Furphy, maybe he would have been able to help them traverse the current (Tyrese) Haliburton-less waters that they have found themselves in.

"Hindsight is obviously 20/20, but in this case, said hindsight makes a clear point: Indiana should have taken Mitchell over Furphy."

At the time it was a poor hot take, and remains one today. Mitchell is playing for the defending champions with reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a foil, while Furphy is part of the 2025 NBA Finals squad crushed by injury, including Tyrese Haliburton.

But there's no doubt Mitchell is having an outstanding season: 13.9 PPG; 3.4 RPG; and 3.6 APG while Furphy is averaging 4.5 points, 2.7 rebounds and 0.4 assists.

Furphy is in the second year of a four-year rookie contract. He signed a USD $8,589,485 contract, including $6,102,490 guaranteed. He's earning a base salary of $1,955,377 this season.

Furphy revealed the Pacers coaching staff view his second year as developmental but he told Buckner he has a "Plan B" if his NBA career doesn't work out.

"Australian football — I don’t know if you’re familiar with that, but that’s our biggest sport. That’s — that’s Plan B right now," Furphy said with a smile.

"If I had to stop playing basketball right now, that’s — I’d be playing football.

"I’d be like a forward, kick goals."