5 Reasons the Pacers can exceed expectations
By TYLER SMITH (@TylerSmith_ISL)
ISL Editor
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers didn’t have the flashy move that many wanted this off-season. They basically swapped Jalen Smith for James Wiseman, and brought the rest of the squad back. It’s a team that just went to the Eastern Conference Finals, but the “running it back” strategy won’t do much for the naysayers of the world. Despite having a very similar roster, there are plenty of reasons to believe this Pacers team can duplicate or even surpass the success of last season. Here are some of those reasons:
•Jarace Walker-
It’s unusual for a lottery pick to appear in less than half of the games and log just 330 total minutes of game action in their rookie season. The Pacers’ plan of competing was accelerated by a year or two, and the young rookie forward found himself out of the rotation on most nights. On the flip side, it’s also rare for a conference finals team to possess the luxury of having a recent lottery pick from the previous season in their back pocket.
Walker’s preseason was a bit of a mixed bag with scoring totals of 8, 12, 15, and 2 in the four games. He went 6-for-14 from behind the arc, while racking up some rebounds, assists, and steals. His role this season might fluctuate, and there’s a chance he’s not even in the opening night rotation. There’s also a chance he becomes the backup 3, and there’s an even greater chance he becomes a mainstay in the rotation on any given night when someone else is injured. Jarace Walker has the talent and work ethic to explode one of these years. He’ll have some ups and downs this season, but if he take a step forward in his development, it’s one of many reasons this Pacers team can exceed expectations once again.
•Bennedict Mathurin-
Speaking of lottery picks, it would be a mistake to overlook the sixth overall pick from the 2022 Draft. It’s easy for some to forget about Ben Mathurin since he was injured during the Pacers playoff run. This is a guy who has averaged nearly 16 points per game in his first two years, and someone who can bring a different dynamic to this run-and-gun offense.
Maybe his injury last season was a blessing in disguise. It allowed guys like Ben Sheppard, and even TJ McConnell to flourish in their roles, and it gave Mathurin a new perspective on the game. He was able to sit back and observe how this team found success, and it only added to his hunger as a basketball player.
It’s still possible that Mathurin ends up being a trade chip at some point in his career. His fit on this team isn’t 100% certain. It’s also very possible that Mathurin becomes a sixth-man of the year candidate and becomes a vital piece to the puzzle that they didn’t have down the stretch a year ago.
•Siakam for the full season-
Pascal Siakam played in 41 games plus the Playoffs for Indiana last season. He grew as a leader, and really started to come into his own in some of those post-season games. At Media Day, Siakam talked about how much of a learning curve it was to join a team mid-season and learn on the fly. This summer, Siakam hosted the whole team for several workouts and was able to go through camp as a Pacer, also having the contract distractions behind him.
Having Siakam for the full season doesn’t guarantee a better record or better overall season, but it certainly beats the alternative. The Haliburton-Siakam one-two punch is here to stay, and it has a chance of being one of the better combos in the league.
•Playoff Nembhard?
Siakam became the second (or sometimes first) option to pair with Haliburton when he was acquired. The third option can often change with the depth of this team. At the same time, Andrew Nembhard could be the guy who becomes that consistent number three. Could the playoff version of Nembhard be unleashed a little more often? This is only his third season in the NBA.
We’ve seen flashes of Andrew Nembhard putting the team on his back- most notably when Haliburton is out with injury. What he did against the elite Boston defense cannot be overstated. It then continued in his Olympics experience with Team Canada. Nembhard is an unselfish player who puts the team first. If the playoff version appears more often this season, it’s another reason the Pacers can flourish.
•Team defense and continuity-
The Pacers were a middle of the pack team defensively after January last season. The concepts and communication were altered around that time, and it took the Pacers to a new level. TJ McConnell also mentioned the luxury it will be for this team to have a head start on other teams because of the roster staying the same.
We said it often last year, and we’ll say it again now: If the Pacers can even be an average team on the defensive end, they will be even more dangerous because of their offensive ability.
Bottom line: The Pacers could be a better team than last season and still finish with fewer wins or playoff victories. Or, they could play deep into the post-season once again. We know they’re hungry. We know they’re saying all the right things. And we at least know they have a chance to contend, something realistic fans haven’t really experienced before Opening Night in quite some time.
On Wednesday night, things get real. Welcome back, Pacers basketball.
