Table of Contents
The 2024-25 NBA season is here! We’re breaking down the biggest questions, best and worst case scenarios, and fantasy outlooks for all 30 teams. Enjoy!
INDIANA MARKERS
Final 2023-24
Off-season moves
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Additions: James Wiseman, Johnny Furphy, Tristan Newton, Enrique Freeman
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Subtractions: Jalen Smith, Doug McDermott
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complete list
The big question: Was that a blip on the radar or the start of something real?
Most of the offseason conversation about which East team has the best chance to unseat the Celtics has centered on the Knicks and 76ers, following their respective big swings. But maybe we should spare a thought for the team that… you know… He actually played in Boston. in the conference finals?
It’s reasonable to have some skepticism about the Pacers repeating a playoff run in which they beat a Bucks team without Giannis Antetokounmpo (and, for two games, Damian Lillard) and a Knicks team that was a MASH unit in the end before being swept by the Celtas. However, that framework gives little importance to Indiana.
Despite postseason injuries, Pacers beat Bucks four times in five regular season attemptsilluminating them to the sound of 122 points per 100 possessions. The Knicks ran out of gas as Indiana forced them to step on the accelerator, surviving Game 3 and avoiding elimination in Game 6 before winning a Game 7 on the road behind the greatest shooting performance by the entire team in NBA playoff history. And although Boston shut them out in the ECF, it’s worth noting that the Pacers led or tied in the final minute in three of the four games. Even with a defense that couldn’t stop a nosebleed and with NBA maestro Tyrese Haliburton missing the last two games, the Pacers were right there.
That only matters to a certain extent in a results-based business; as The prophet Domingo Toretto told usOne man’s “I almost had you” is another man’s “I never had your car.” But while the pessimist might look at the Pacers and see the 2020-21 Atlanta Hawks on the verge of regressing into lopsided stagnation, a more optimistic type might see a team that made the final four despite being far away. of its final form.
Pacers return all players they registered at least 100 postseason minutessix of whom are 25 years old or younger – a fairly rich source of untapped player development potential. (That doesn’t include their 2022 and 2023 lottery picks: Bennedict Mathurin, sidelined in March with a torn labrum, and Jarace Walker, stuck behind Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin on the depth chart.) They had those from the East. fourth best record and third best net rating after making the blockbuster trade for Siakam in mid-January, and played at a 50-win pace after the All-Star break.
They did it with Haliburton clearly at least somewhat hampered by hamstring and back injuries, offering hopes of even more electric results with a full-strength version who, in the first half, was arguably the best offensive player in the game. NBA. Now, they’ll get a full season of the Haliburton-Siakam partnership, which began to gel late in the regular season before paying big dividends in the playoffs. Indiana overcame its opposition by 79 points in 383 postseason minutes with the two All-Stars sharing the court, scoring a scorching 125.5 points per 100.
With the benefit of a full summer and training camp to play not only with that pairing, but also with one of the league’s deepest defenses: recently extended playoff aces Haliburton. Andres Nembhard and T.J. McConnella healthy Mathurin, emerging Ben Sheppard; head coach Rick Carlisle could have come up with an even more potent offensive machine to induce misery. Considering the last iteration that finished in the top six in (deep breath) offensive efficiency, assist rate, turnover rate, effective field goal percentage, pace of play, second chance points, fast break points and dots in the paint (cleansing exhalation)that should be a terribly daunting proposition for opposing defenses.
Perhaps equally daunting: the challenge of finding some new schematic answers to improve a defense that finished 28th, 26th and 24th in points allowed per possession during the last three seasonsand ranks 22nd in the NBA after Siakam trade. (The bright side? The arrow points up!)
there is some Defensive talent on roster: physical, feisty wings Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith; veteran rim protector Myles Turner; Walker, who could be the type of lean, versatile 4 Indiana needs, but probably not an “above average unit” crop. However, the good thing about having a World Cup offensive is that it may not be necessary. If Carlisle and company can find a viable sufficient coverage so that the Siakam-Turner pairing, one that also mitigates the damage caused by opponents’ persistent attack on Haliburton, equals approach league average, then we might come to view last spring’s streak not as a flash in the pan, but as the first spark that signals the beginning of a bright new era in Indiana basketball.
The best of cases
Haliburton stays healthy all the time, leading the Pacers to not only the best offense in the league, but also one of the best in NBA history. With Turner and Siakam developing more chemistry and the young wings stepping up the attack, Carlisle is able to build a scheme that manages to continue limiting three-pointers without giving up. by far the highest number of attacks at the rim in the league, allowing Indiana to rank between 15th and 20th in defensive efficiency – a recipe for 50-plus wins, home-field advantage in Round 1, and another deep playoff run.
If everything falls apart
Carlisle can’t plan enough around personnel deficiencies to prevent the Pacers from persistently giving up shop, and the defense falls to bottom-five status. As good as that offense may be, even if Haliburton misses time again: They scored on a top six clip when he was from the ground last season, and their fleet of complementary players should be even better; It’s too big a ask, especially in April and May. Indiana evades the play-in, but surrenders to a full-strength and better-balanced opponent in Round 1, as questions mount about how to build a championship-caliber defense around Haliburton.
fantasy twist
As one of the fastest and most efficient units in basketball last season, the Pacers turned heads as a solid powerhouse for fantasy production. Haliburton played in 69 games despite battling injuries and averaged at least 20 points with 10 assists for the second straight year. He’s an easy first-rounder in fantasy drafts.
Turner remains an effective shot blocker to grab in the fourth round, while Siakam has a safe 20-7-4 floor. I prefer Turner over Siakam in top leagues because Siakam’s defensive numbers are trending downward, along with his free throw percentage. In points leagues, go for Siakam.
Two late round guys I like are Nesmith and Nembhard. Both are efficient from the field, agile defensively and are reasonably priced. Mathurin is a microwave cube, but has yet to prove he’s a viable fantasy asset outside of scoring. — Dan Tito
Calendar 2024-25
They just won 47 with Haliburton on a minutes restriction and/or limited for three months, half a season of Siakam, and a rotation full of youngsters just starting to get their feet wet. I would take charge.
