(Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports Illustration)
The 2024-25 NBA season begins. We break down the biggest questions, best- and worst-case scenarios, and fantasy prospects for all 30 teams. enjoy!
indiana pacers
2023-24 season ends
off season moves
Added: James Wiseman, Jonny Furphy, Tristan Newton, Enrique Freeman
Subtraction: Jalen Smith, Doug McDermott
complete roster
The big question: Was it a blip on the radar or the start of something real?
Most of the offseason talk about which team in the East has the best chance to beat the Celtics focused on the Knicks and 76ers following big swings at their respective wings. But shouldn’t we…you know…think a little bit about the team that actually played Boston in the conference finals?
Some skepticism about the Pacers winning back-to-back games in the playoffs, beating a Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo (and Damian Lillard for two games) and a Knicks team that was a MASH unit until the end, only to be swept by the team in the end. It is natural to have such a view. Celtics. But this framework gives Indiana some respite.
Despite postseason injuries, the Pacers defeated the Bucks four times in five tries during the regular season, scoring 122 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks ran out of gas as Indiana forced them to keep their foot on the pedal, survived Game 3, avoided elimination in Game 6, and won Game 7 on the road with the best overall team shooting performance in NBA playoff history. . And while Boston blanked them in the ECF, it’s worth noting that in three of the four games the Pacers took the lead or were tied in the final minute. Despite a defense that couldn’t stop a nosebleed and All-NBA maestro Tyrese Haliburton missing the final two games, the Pacers were right there.
It only matters in results-based businesses. As the prophet Dominic Toretto told us, one person may have “almost had a car” while another may have “never had a car.” But while the pessimistic may look at the Pacers and see the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks on the verge of slipping back into unbalanced stagnation, the more optimistic see the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks as far from their final form. Despite this, we might see a team advance to the top four.
The Pacers return every player who logged at least 100 minutes in the postseason, six of whom are under the age of 25, and have a tremendous amount of untapped development potential. (This does not include lottery picks in 2022 and 2023, including Benedict Mathurin, who was sidelined in March with a torn labrum, and who ranks behind Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin on the depth chart.) ) They have the fourth-best record in the East, the third-best net rating after making the blockbuster trade for Siakam in mid-January, and are playing on a 50-win pace after the All-Star break. did.
They accomplished this while Haliburton was obviously held back at least somewhat by hamstring and back injuries, and even more dramatic results with a full-strength version in which he was arguably the NBA’s best offensive player in the first half. made me look forward to it. Now, they will continue the Haliburton-Siakam partnership for a full season, a partnership that starts to clash late in the regular season and then pays off in a big way in the playoffs. Indiana outscored opponents by 79 points in 383 postseason minutes, scoring a high 125.5 points per 100 with two All-Stars sharing the floor.
This combination, as well as one of the deepest backcourts in the league, Haliburton, newly extended playoff aces Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell, a healthy Mathurin, a rising Ben Shepard, and a full summer. With the benefit of training camp, head coach Rick Carlisle may have devised an even more potent misery-inducing agent for the offensive machine. Considering the previous iteration, which entered the top 6 in [deep breath] Offensive efficiency, assist rate, turnover rate, effective field goal rate, pace of play, second chance points, fast break points, points in the paint [cleansing exhale]that should be a very difficult proposition for opposing defenses.
Probably just as daunting. Find a new schematic answer to improving a defense that finished 28th, 26th and 24th in points allowed per possession over the past three seasons and ranked 22nd in the NBA after the Siakam trade. That is the issue. (A ray of hope? The arrow is pointing up!)
There is some defensive talent on the roster – physical and courageous wings Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith. veteran rim protector Myles Turner; Walker may be exactly the versatile, versatile player Indiana needs, but he’s probably not an “above-average unit.” But the beauty of having a world-beating offense is that it doesn’t have to be that way. If Carlisle & Co. can find enough coverage to make the Siakam/Turner pair viable, it also reduces the damage caused by opponents continuing to target Haliburton, and if they can even get close to league average. , last spring’s results may become visible. It wasn’t a flash in the pan, it was the first spark that signaled the start of a bright and exciting new era in Indiana basketball.
best case scenario
Haliburton stayed healthy throughout and led the Pacers to not only the best offense in the league, but one of the best offenses in NBA history. With Turner and Siakam developing more chemistry and the young wings stepping up at the point of attack, Carlisle builds a scheme that manages to continue limiting 3-point shots without giving up the most prolific rim attacks in the league. This allowed Indiana to settle. They rank somewhere between 15th and 20th in defensive efficiency, giving them a recipe for well over 50 wins, home court advantage in the first round, and another run in the playoffs.
If everything falls apart
Carlisle was unable to successfully work around the personnel shortages that prevented the Pacers from relentlessly giving up shop, and the defense fell to the bottom five. Even if Haliburton misses time again, as long as that offense is good, they scored at a top-six clip when he was off the floor last season, and a team of complementary Val I handlers. Should be even better, but it’s too much to ask especially April and May. Indiana avoided the play-in, but succumbed to a full-strength, well-rounded opponent in the first round amid growing questions about how to build a championship-level defense around Haliburton.
fantasy spin
The Pacers gained attention last season as one of the most fast-paced and efficient teams in basketball and a solid base for fantasy production. Haliburton played in 69 games despite battling injuries, averaging over 20 points and 10 assists for the second straight year. He’s an easy first-rounder in fantasy drafts.
Turner is an effective shot blocker in the fourth round as well, and Siakam has a safe 20-7-4 floor. I prefer Turner over Siakam in category leagues, but that’s because Siakam’s free throw percentage and defensive numbers are both declining. In points leagues, I’m aiming for Siakam.
Two of my favorite late-rounders are Nesmith and Nembhardt. Both are efficient on the field, strong on defense, and affordable. Mathurin is a microwave bucket, but he has yet to prove himself to be a realistic fantasy asset outside of scoring. โ Dan Titus
2024-25 schedule
They won 47 games with Haliburton on a one-minute limit and/or three-month limit, half a season for Siakam, and a rotation full of young players just starting to find their feet. I’ll take over.