Who Should Be the Indiana Pacers Starting Shooting Guard?

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Dec 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Monta Ellis (left), center Myles Turner (center and forward Paul George in the huddle with teammates prior to the game against the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena. The Pacers defeated the Suns 109-94. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

Monta Ellis Still Has It All

By Ryan Eggers

Arguing over who is the best player of the ones involved in this debate is a tedious and lost cause. Roles on this squad are more important than ever as the team grows under Nate McMillan, and Ellis’ best fit on this team is to stick in the starting lineup.

The dude is an accomplished vet, and likely the most consistent of all of the options for the job. It might be dazzling to see GR3 and Stuckey pop off for a game or two, but Ellis will quietly drop 15+ points with 5+ assists and no one even bats an eye. It seems the Pacers fandom might be taking his talents for granted, seeing that he’s oftentimes the weakest link of a team that has been struggling to win games this year.

But this is a guy that will hang with the starters every night, will never struggle to keep up, and will always find ways to produce on offense even if his shot isn’t falling. He has many defensive faults, and it may be appropriate at times to swap Ellis out for a bigger body for certain matchups, but for the most part, stick with what works.

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This team’s issues go far beyond Ellis, and swapping Ellis out with anyone isn’t going to solve the problem. It could, however, mess up chemistry mid-season and put this team even further behind where it is now.

Ellis has one thing that seemingly no other candidate for the 2 position has (except Robinson, for now): durability. It’s a little ironic to say that after he missed a game last night, but that’s the only game he’s missed due to injury this season, and he’s clocked in for at least 80 games in each of the last four seasons. If Stuckey or Miles are plugged into the lineup, it’s almost a guarantee that there will be 20+ games throughout the year where a replacement will be needed. Limiting their minutes in a bench role not only mitigates those injury issues a bit, it also ensures the starting lineup is consistent and can grow together without incident throughout the year.

The Pacers have already had their fair share of injury issues in the starting lineup this season; it’s time to settle down and give a starting lineup time to develop. Ellis is the best man for the job.

Also, another thing that is seemingly forgotten about Ellis: he’s a solid passer for his role, even with Teague by his side. He’s averaging about four a game, but can get it going during any given game. It’s not like him being able to produce assists is all that important in the grand scheme of things, but it matters that he can move the ball and not let a possession become stagnant in the starting lineup. Stuckey can dish to an extent, but Miles and Robinson would struggle in that respect. If they aren’t having a good night shooting the ball … they will harm the offense. Miles just recently had a game (Phoenix) where he went 0 for 5 from deep, and he put up 2 points, 3 boards, and no assists. That can’t happen to a starter, ever.

The current bench needs to stay as it is. The fear with Ellis entering the role of the sixth man is that he would take over and turn it into a Lance Stephenson role, where everyone just sits back and watches his do something. That might be fun to watch when it’s going well, but it doesn’t make for a good bench. Ellis isn’t Jamal Crawford; he only shoots 30% from deep. He shouldn’t be given the keys to do whatever he wants on the floor.

The argument for Robinson to be inserted into the starting lineup is that he plays better as a starter than a rotational guy. Well, in that case, he either needs to 1. become consistently good enough to warrant a starting role or 2. learn how to play in the rotation. I don’t think anyone believes Robinson is the best player of the four, and the starting lineup shouldn’t take a hit because Robinson needs training wheels to be able to perform night in and night out. If he’s not NBA ready, he’s not.

Miles, outside of aforementioned injury concerns, is really needed on the bench. Without him, the bench looks like Stuckey, Ellis, Robinson, Allen, Jefferson and maybe Brooks if a role is found for him. Outside of Brooks and at times Robinson, there is absolutely no 3-point shooting in that lineup.

None.

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Miles, when he can get going, provides a huge spark of points off of the bench, which is desperately needed for that unit. When he can’t find his stroke, it’s of a lot less consequence than if he’s getting 30+ minutes as a starter. Stuckey has been valuable many times this season, but he is, if anything, a poor man’s Ellis in terms of play style. A little more inconsistent, a lot more injured, and overall a guy that has always seemed to thrive on the bench. No reason to change that.

If Ellis proves to be an absolute detriment to this team defensively over the next few months, then it’ll be time to start considering a change. But Ellis has proven that he is going to be the most consistent and reliable player out of all of the options the Pacers currently have. Is it exactly ideal? No. But this team’s problems run deeper than the 2 position, and they shouldn’t be trying to fix a squeaky door when the roof is leaking. Allow this lineup, the lineup that Bird constructed over the off-season, to try and get things done together. They haven’t had much time at all this season to do that. If it doesn’t work out, then changes can be made.

Next: Thaddeus Young is Mr. Do It All for the Indiana Pacers

This lineup isn’t going to magically become fixed or better overnight. Swapping out Ellis is more likely to do harm than good, and there’s no reason to take that risk.

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