Pacers worst season ends with high hopes for the future
The Pacers have plenty of work to do to put this 19-win season behind them and return to contender status in the East.
On the first possession of the Pacers final game against the Pistons, Cade Cunningham freed himself for a signature floater in the lane only to be denied in a hurry by Jalen Slawson sliding over with the help D. Could only imagine Cunningham running back on D wondering, “Who was that?”
Jalen Slawson?
Oh, Slawson was just the 27th and final player added to the Pacers roster this season, earning a two-way contract after the Pacers bumped Quenton Jackson from a two-way deal to a regular contract on the last day of February.
A couple of possessions after blocking Cunningham, Slawson stole a pass from Cunningham on the wing and then found QJack for a run out layup to tie the game at 2-2. That would be as close as the Pacers came to the lead for the rest of the game as they surrendered 81 first half points with the Pistons hitting them for a pair of 40-point quarters.
Just like that the Pacers ended the season with 19 wins, a franchise worst mark, locked up the second spot in the NBA draft lottery and as a team, were ready to move on with high hopes of a healthy bounce back season following what will be a long offseason with an additional two months off compared to last year.
While Slawson represents the perfect thumbnail of this lost season, having played just 13 games but playing almost 24 minutes per game and flashing plenty of good stuff, particularly on the defensive end to find a niche in the league. It would be great if he was with the Pacers next season, likely on a two-way and even better if he remained ready but wasn’t needed in the rotation.
That is a compliment since the Pacers expect to have a healthy playing rotation that will require challenging decisions as to who fills the 8th, 9th and 10th spots. Tyrese Haliburton should be back and ready to ramp up his game alongside Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Ivica Zubac.
Ahhh…doesn’t the thought of a game with those five in the lineup playing starters minutes sound glorious after what we had to just endure?
That doesn’t mean the Pacers can exhale and expect to rise to the top four territory in the East, without struggle. Fortunately, while all of the vibes are positive as the team looks ahead, Siakam appears ready to take on the role of the team’s conscience. He’s won a championship and he’s seen a championship team crack and go the other way.
Siakam invested a lot of emotional and physical effort in this season and despite the draft position, the big fella struggled to make peace with all of the losses. Looking forward, he doesn’t want anyone to forget what they went through.
“I hope we go into the summer, with everyone just really, really mad about the situation,” Siakam said. “This was really frustrating and I hope we bring that rage into the summer. Everyone getting better individually, find some time together to stay together and work together as a team so that when we come back, we understand what it takes and we know that it’s not just going to take flipping a switch and, oh, we have everybody back and we’re going to be right back where we were at.”
The Pacers standard of play and effort that sent them to consecutive deep playoff runs has to be rebuilt and refined and Siakam is ready to lead that effort. Hopefully, that call to action is answered by the rest of the squad which certainly respects the veteran sage on the roster who is always willing to share his recipe to being a pro’s pro.
Setting that sense of urgency is critical for the Pacers as they embark on a two-year window with championship expectations. Haliburton, Nembhard and Nesmith are starting hitting their prime NBA years while Zubac is in his prime. The time is now for all of those guys to not just follow Siakam’s lead but carry more of a leadership load while all staying on the same page.
Siakam understands how tricky this can be and each season becomes its own sociological experience with varied humans working together trying to succeed as individuals and a team. That team success raises the individual value which is why everyone has to remain focused on the common goal at the end of each day.
That’s how the Pacers can start winning, again as everyone hopes will be the case next season. But the work to make that happen starts now.
Below are a few of the exit interviews from the final day of the season. Tyrese Haliburton also spoke the following day which deserved its own post which will go up shortly.