The Indiana Pacers didn’t have the means to go out and take swings in free agency. Looking at the history of the franchise, that’s not something they do much anyway. Indiana typically isn’t a free-agent destination so they don’t have a lot of cap space most offseasons.
After re-signing Pascal Siakam to a four-year max contract, they didn’t have the money to go after any other star player in free agency. That’s fine with them because they’ll just bring back their own guys. They did that with Siakam and Obi Toppin as well.
The Pacers have a lot of young players though. They have eight players who are 26 or younger who could be in the rotation next season. That leaves a lot of room for growth from a team that already has an Eastern Conference Finals appearance to hang their hat on.
Indiana is looking for all of these young guys to take a step up. Tyrese Haliburton needs to be a better defender and be able to stay healthy. Aaron Nesmith needs to be more of a consistent three-point shooter in the playoffs. Andrew Nembhard needs to be a better catch-and-shoot three-point shooter.
All of those guys are in the starting lineup. If those guys just improve, this team is going to be better than last year. The guys on the bench can all be better too. Obi Toppin needs to be a better defender. Ben Sheppard has to be more consistent offensively. Bennedict Mathurin has to become a better defender and a playmaker. Jarace Walker just needs to play more.
Betting on growth and chemistry isn’t the worst idea in the world for a small-market team like the Pacers. They are a team that others seem to be overlooking as we head into next year. I wouldn’t expect any giant moves from Indiana in the remainder of free agency.
Source link : https://8points9seconds.com/posts/the-indiana-pacers-are-banking-on-growth-in-2024-25-01j1z5251q3d
Author :
Publish date : 2024-07-04 12:30:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.