The , with a peculiarly stark difference between their offense and defense, find themselves . They do, however, have a very intriguing roster. Looking at their strong core, young talent, and options in the upcoming free agency, here’s a look at why the Indians Pacers will be contenders next season. Strong Young Core The Pacers have a strong core of players to build around. Centering around point guard (who’s leading the in assists), they also have Indiana mainstay and the newly acquired . Pacers 2023-24 Stars Averages Haliburton 20.4 3.9 11.2 Siakam 21.9 7.0 4.5 Turner 17.1 7.0 1.3 Haliburton, with his scoring ability and phenomenal facilitating, has become one of the best young players in the league with the Pacers. In fact, he’s not only leading the league in assists but also committing fewer turnovers than the players contending with him. 2023-24
NBA Assist Leaders and Turnovers Haliburton 11.2 2.4 Trae Young 10.8 4.3 Luka Dončić 9.8 4.0 Nikola Jokić 9.0 2.9 James Harden 8.5 2.6 Haliburton is the heartbeat of this team, leading the Pacers in points, assists, and steals. Even as he’s been this season (a signature part of his game), he’s been able to improve his midrange game. Haliburton
shooting by Distance 8-16 ft 56.9% 16-24 ft 51.4% >24 ft 37.1% Not only is that an impressive feat in and of itself while simultaneously struggling with a major part of his game but he’s also led his team to have a top-three offense in the league. Siakam is averaging 21.9 points, seven rebounds and 4.5 assists. Tied with Haliburton for the highest usage rate on the team, Siakam has quickly become an integral part of this Pacers team. Pacers 2023-23 Usage Rate Haliburton 24.9% McConnell 23.1% Mathurin 23.3% Siakam 24.9% Turner 23.2% Only his first year with the team, and already making a difference, Siakam should only grow more comfortable the more he plays. Having only taken part in 32 games for the Pacers so far, the ways in which he can truly help this squad are only just being scratched. Turner, taken with the 11th overall pick in the 2015 , has been a Pacer his entire career. Although not a monster presence in the paint, Turner is averaging a solid 17 points, seven boards, and 1.3 assists on a 52.1 percent field goal percentage. While outside the top 30 in the league for points, rebounds, assists, and field goal percentage, his 1.8 blocks per game is enough to make him one of the 10 most prolific shot blockers this season. This Team is Full of Young Talent Aside from the core holding the team together, their ancillary pieces all seem to be falling into place. These guys might not be known much outside of Indiana, but they’re on track to be in the minds of casual NBA fans within the next couple of seasons. Bennedict Mathurin, taken with the sixth overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, is a bright young talent. Averaging 14.5 points, four rebounds and two assists with a 44.6 percent field goal percentage, Mathurin, although seeing a slight dip in his numbers after his All-Rookie First Team season, is becoming slightly more efficient in his production. Mathurin's Shooting 2022-23 16.7 43.4% 32.3% 2023-24 14.5 44.6% 37.4% Another promising young talent, Aaron Nesmith, is in his second season with the Pacers. Averaging 12.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, Nesmith has seen his points, assists, blocks, steals, and three-point percentage incrementally improve each season of his career, while putting up career-high numbers in each of the categories along with his 49.8 percent field goal percentage. Andrew Nembhard, taken at the tail end of the 2022 draft by the Pacers, has also become a staple of this team. He is playing less time this season, with an average of about three fewer minutes, and this has seen some of his stats slightly decline (points, assists, and rebounds), but he has improved in field goal percentage, three-point percentage, and turnovers. He’s becoming more efficient within the offense with the time he’s being given, which is vital for bench players on contending squads. Possibly the most exciting of Indiana’s young talents, Obi Toppin. Taken with the eighth overall pick of the 2020 NBA Draft, Toppin was recently acquired from the . Although his line of 10.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists may not jump off the stat sheet, he’s putting up career highs in points, rebounds, assists, field goal and three-point percentages, blocks, steals, and minutes. A player with a high ceiling, Toppin’s game is on track to work him into the starting lineup within the next season or two. With all these talented players and one of the best offenses in the league, this Pacers team is about a piece away from truly entering the contender conversation. Free Agency Freedom Most importantly, this off-season, current Pacer Siakam will be an unrestricted free agent. With how he’s been able to contribute, the Pacers should lock him up. Toppin, too, will be a free agent but will be restricted, meaning Indiana has the option to match any offer he receives from another team. He’s been playing well, but shouldn’t see too many other options that will benefit him more than staying with the Pacers. There are a number of players the Pacers could target this offseason in an attempt to push them over the top. If he declines his current player option with the (becoming an unrestricted free agent), former Pacer could be a massive benefit to this team. Averaging 22.5 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists, George would not only contribute to the outstanding offensive abilities of this team but also help to bolster their atrocious defense. It would be a hefty price tag and may require the Pacers to move some things around, but George would undoubtedly make this team better. Another player who could help at both ends of the floor, Nicolas Claxton, will also be an this upcoming offseason. Averaging 12.1 points, 9.8 rebounds and a pair of assists with a 63.2 percent field goal percentage, Claxton would absolutely improve this team on both ends of the floor. Again though, a player of this caliber would probably require some roster maneuvering on Indiana’s part. As it would if they were to target star forward , a six-time all-star who is averaging 23.3 points, 4.3 boards and 5.3 assists this season. Having DeRozan as an additional target on offense could take Haliburton’s league-leading assist numbers to even new heights. As would , who will also be an unrestricted free agent. Struggling this year from deep, Thompson might be a top-quality player the Pacers could get at a relative discount. What he would be able to bring to the team would certainly be more than simply his on-court play, though, as he would bring a level of experience (both regular and postseason) that just simply isn’t present on this roster. Along with names like Gordon Hayward, Andre Drummond, and Isaac Okoro hitting the free agency board this summer, there are a number of options the Pacers could take to improve their team. Whether it’s stacking more point producers or getting help on defense, the Pacers have an open runway in terms of what they can do this offseason. Regardless of the direction they choose, they have a strong enough core, talented and consistently improving young players and an upcoming offseason with a lot of room to stretch. They might be fighting for a spot this season, but next season the Indiana Pacers should be firmly within the contender conversation.