Indiana Pacers Team Review

 

2022-23 Finish: 22-60

 

Season Highlight:

The Pacers had a couple of highlights among the lackluster year that was 22/23 overall. They had a pretty rock solid rotation that saw growth from guys like Jordan Poole and Aaron Nesmith, and they had some strong production from top rookie recruits in Jabari Smith, Dalen Terry and Isaiah Jackson. There is a lot to like about what this team had despite the horrendous record they produced on the year. To cap that off, they brought in a new and super active GM after long time GM who had slowly got more and more despondent stepped aside to allow for some fresh blood. We won’t mention the GM that sat in the seat and did nothing for a number of months, sometime this type of thing simply isn’t for everyone, but Yeet is here now and he’s reworked the roster already.

 

Season Lowlight:

The Pacers looked like they were going to try and compete with their original FA signings,going after PJ Tucker and Seth Curry, Robin Lopez…these vets to bolster the kids and stars, but then they seemed to open the year in full tank with Dalen Terry starting and D’Angelo Russell way down the depth chart to stop him racking u the points they so desperately needed to win games. It became even more blatant when Towns went down, and they further reduced Russell rather than the other way round. Tanking from week 1, and finishing the year with a terrible record (even if that was the original GMs goal) is the lowlight.

 

Best Trade:

Pacers send: Terrence Ross

Pacers receive: Justin Holiday, SA 2024 2^nd, Portland 2027 2^nd and Minnesota 2027 2nd

 

Pretty small fry really, but I think this is the teams best value trade even if it’s not the biggest. It can be small deals like this, sending an expiring little used role player out for a solid also expiring guy, but also picking up 3 tangible assets in the process that can help build you down the line.

 

Worst Trade:

Pacers send: SA 2024 2nd
Pacers receive: Ish Smith, Pick 49 2023

As you can see, this actually isn’t a bad trade at all…which speaks volumes as to their seasons transactions that this would qualify as the “worst” of anything for the sake of filling the hole. They took a salary to dump, and moved forward a year in the draft which is actually a net positive.

 

Other Notable Trades:

Pacers send: TPE

Pacers receive: Torrey Craig

 

Notable only because…

 

Pacers send: Torrey Craig
Pacers receive: Brooklyn 2^nd 2027

 

Turn a TPE into a pick, good business.

 

 

 

Pacers send: Kyle Kuzma and Caris LeVert
Pacers receive: D’Angelo Russell and Aaron Nesmith

 

I think I like this trade on one hand, but I don’t know if I do on the other. Probably means it’s a fair white wash. The Pacers though landed what they needed, a scoring guard, for a pair of solid players, and as Nesmith grows this deal continues to grow positively too.

 

 

 

Pacers send: PJ Tucker
Pacers receive: Seth Curry

 

I like this one, getting of that Tucker salary.

 

 

 

There’s also a swathe of pick swaps from agreed upon “after flip” trades, but it’s too far for me to follow so I’ll leave them be for this year.

 

 

 

Free Agency:

The Pacers have 11 guys on their roster leading into FA, assuming they get Russell to return, which should be a fairly simple thing to make happen. But, that means they have some work to do to fill out a roster. And Russell also isn’t a high enough salary to put him out of reach of people, so points will need to be laid to make sure. After that though, they’re done with their own guys and they can go out there and bid on what they want and try their luck. It might yet be a task though with a strong starting unit, and a horrible record working against them in the FA calcs.

D'Angelo Russell – UFA, resign bonus is nice but salary is lower enough for a few others to take a sniff at one of the better 2k scorers. Must bring back.

 

 

Star:

Jordan Poole

This might be the only time I ever say this…at least I hope it is…but Jordan Poole was their star last year. He’s now been shipped, but the man led the team in scoring with nearly 17 a night and played/started all 82 games which is no mean feat! He was way up on his previous years numbers, putting him in MIP discussion and did his damage in less than 30 minutes a night. Hate him or hate him, you have to give him his season props…and hate him.

 

Flop:

Lonzo Ball

Lonzo is the clear flop here. A team screaming for a ball distributing 2way PG and they have him, but he misses yet another whole season with his injury. It’s a devastating turn of events after he was brought in to be the perfect pairing with KAT, Kuzma, LeVert, the growth of Poole and then this year with the rookies, but the man just can’t get back on the court and now it’s all bypassed them, and him, and he’s elsewhere set to be waived before his PO is picked up.

 

 

Draft Grades:

Pick 1 – Victor Wembanyama

Pick 21 – Dariq Whitehead

Pick 34 (Sold) – Maxwell Lewis

Pick 39 (Sold) – Rayan Rupert

Pick 42 (via Philly) – Emoni Bates

Overall Grade: A+

Yeet’s greatest achievement thus far in the NSL is a lucky lottery ball which gave him the 2k god and generational Frenchman, Victor Wembanyama, and you can’t give a grade less than A from just getting the best guy in the draft. Whitehead is a solid get at 21, although it remains to be seen what he will do as he hasn’t been healthy yet, but then I cap it off for a A+ with the drafting of Bates late who again has 2k potential written all over him and has already shown he can at least have some upside to his game at the NBA level.

 

The Future:

The future is all in Yeet’s hands now. He came in and completely refreshed the roster basically, particularly after he landed the #1 pick, meaning KAT and Poole are gone. Other assets and players too, save for the rookie pair of Smith and Jackson, and the unsung pick up of Nesmith. He’s made his stamp on the team and he’s already crowing like he’s a champ contender so it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out into his first actual season game in the coming weeks (after the NLL fell over without him playing a game also). He’s got a lot of growth in this team though and they do look like they should hit the playoffs if Wemby isn’t shut down too early.

C: Victor Wembanyama / Isaiah Jackson
PF: Jabari Smith Jr / Marvin Bagley III
SF: Brandon Ingram / Aaron Nesmith / Kessler Edwards
SG: D’Angelo Russell / Dariq Whitehead
SP Jrue Holiday / Devonte Graham