Pacers in Desperate Need of Shooting and Rebounding as Deadline Approaches

The Indiana Pacers will need to make a trade if they want to make a deep run in the NBA playoffs.

It’s no secret the Indiana Pacers, now on a 6-game losing streak, need roster improvement.

In a league where shooting and floor spacing rule, the Pacers lack both. The Pacers rank 26th in made threes at just 8.4 per game. They only have three players average more than one made three-point field goal per game. As if that isn’t bad enough one of these players (Jeff Teague) barely makes the list at just one per game and the other is the wildly inconsistent C.J Miles.

The trade deadline is even closer than it seems as it will arrive in only 7 days.

So who should the Indiana Pacers be targeting?

The trade target I would take a closer look at if I were Larry Bird would be Danilo Gallinari.

Gallo has always been a lethal 3-point bomber and has even drawn comparisons of the aforementioned Bird. Please don’t get that previous sentence twisted though Gallinari is not and will never be the player Bird was.

Gallinari would slide right into the starting lineup as a small ball 4. This would help to space the floor for Paul George and Teague to drive the basketball. This move also helps the bench as Thad Young would help space the floor and bring some defense to a second unit that has none.
Another huge problem for this Pacers squad is rebounding.

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Rebounding is a key component to championship level basketball teams. It always has been and always will be. In addition to being 26th in made 3-pointers, this team is even worse at rebounding. No team that ranks in the bottom five of both 3-point makes and rebounds will ever be successful. These flaws show up night in and night out.

One player who I see as somebody to drastically change their rebounding shortcomings is someone such as Kyle O’Quinn. This move also helps their defensive prowess on a bench that really lacks any sort of defensive presence.

With minimal big men left on the market, O’Quinn might just be the best available for the needs at hand. He is both a plus rebounder at over five per game and would prove to be a solid defensive addition to the second unit.

While this move fills a couple of glaring needs, it would be one that warrants a secondary move for shooting as well. Someone such as Courtney Lee, who is also on the Knicks, would fill this void perfectly as a high percentage 3-point shooter and lock-down perimeter defender. Not to mention Lee shared the backcourt in high school with Pacers point guard Jeff Teague — which is ridiculous in its own right.

Next: It is Now or Never for the Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers need help one way or another, and whether Larry Bird is looking at these players or not, he better be making calls if thy want to contend this season.