It is not often that a defending conference champion are not even projected to get 40 wins. Unfortunately, due to injury and free agency, the Indiana Pacers find themselves searching for purpose in a year that everyone in the state of Indiana just wants to skip. The sobering realization that your team was one win away from a ring and now finds itself one year away from being competitive again is difficult to reconcile.
They have some young talent. Benn Mathurin averaged 17 points a game as a rookie
two years ago, Jarace Walker was a highly touted player going in to the 2023 draft, and Kam Jones is a guy i like a lot out of Marquette. Jay Huff is only 27 and has flashed some rim protection alongside his three-point shot in limited action. Other than figuring out who can be someone going forward and who can’t, there isn’t much to look forward to from the Pacers next year.
Indiana Pacers: Over/Under 37.5 Wins (-106/-114)
Last Season: 50-32
Additions: N/A
Losses: Myles Turner, Tyrese Haliburton (injury)
The Pacers are going to be running on fumes next season. They have question marks everywhere, most notably at center. I like Andrew Nembhard a lot, but, as we saw in the NBA Finals, the Pacers really struggle to string offense together without Tyrese Haliburton. It will require a Herculean effort from Pascal Siakam to keep this team afloat, and I do not see that in the cards. Maybe I am not giving Rick Carlisle enough credit, and maybe Benn Mathurin can carry more offensive load than I think. But my money is on the Pacers being a bad team next season.
