Will Pacers find any help in NBA Draft?
The Pacers have open questions about their roster heading into the draft and free agency.
The NBA Draft will take place over two days this season with the first round starting on Wednesday night at 8 p.m. ET. The second round will follow on Thursday at the odd time of 4 p.m. ET.
The Pacers don’t have a first round pick and despite three second round picks to work with, the odds of them moving up into the late part of the first round remain very slim. Almost as slim as the idea they are going to use all three of those second round picks.
Of course, if the team knows that Jalen Smith will opt out of his final year over the weekend and also aren’t likely to re-sign Obi Toppin, then the Pacers can add a couple of rooks and continue developing prior picks like Oscar Tschiebwe and Kendall Brown.
However, re-signing Toppin seems like a strong move for both sides of any negotiations. Combined with the commitment to Pascal Siakam, that could pave the way for Kendall Brown’s departure thanks to his non-guaranteed money. That would be a shame because the Pacers are desperate for an athletic, big wing who can defend. KB may not be ready for that role yet, but he has the tools to get there if he can figure out the NBA game.
The Pacers brought in several of those types of players for draft workouts, so they could draft two or three of them and see who shows out and survives.
I’m talking about guys like Keshad Johnson (Arizona), Jalen Bridges (Baylor) and Harrison Ingram (North Carolina) who are potential 3 and D rotation guys expected to go in the second round. Another forward, 20-year old Serbian, Nikola Djurisic seems to have the Pacers attention, as well. Although, Djurisic seem more of a Toppin type forward, not from a high-flying standpoint, but as an offensive player who still needs to work on defense.
Adem Bona (UCLA) is more Center but also a similar size to Tschiebwe. However, Bona is three years younger and much more athletic. A dynamic athlete for his size that would be worth trying to develop into a dynamic NBA big man.
The Pacers appear ready to run back as much of the prior season’s roster as possible, but they have to find a way to improve on defense and the glass. Tshiebwe simply eats the glass and put up huge numbers in the G-League last year. At least in small doses, those numbers usually translate to the NBA, even with his offensive shortcomings. If the Pacers can upgrade with a younger option in the draft, then they should be excited.
While not nearly as bad as last summer, the Pacers still have a glut of guards and/or smaller wings who have shown they deserve minutes in the rotation. Aside from Brown, Jarace Walker remains the only big wing who could possibly help defensively.
While this may be a problem on opening night, as we have learned over the past few seasons, opportunities arise throughout the year for those who have earned the minutes. Plus, Rick Carlisle has no problem adjusting his rotation base on what is earned. The only problem will be if Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam remain healthy all year and that is no problem at all.
Both Haliburton and Siakam will start the season making max money while the rest of the roster will battle for expanded roles in the rotation. While there isn’t a lot of room in the rotation, some defensive depth at the big wing spot would be ideal. If the Pacers can hit that spot with pick No. 36, they may be able to deal their later second round picks or at least one, for a second rounder in later drafts.
Those scenarios make the most sense and are about as exciting as this draft should be for the Pacers. Until Thursday afternoon…