Indiana Pacers’ Inconsistent Bench Finally Getting It Together
By Jacob Breece
The Indiana Pacers’ bench struggled all season to be more than dead weight, but in the last few games, that might be changing.
The Indiana Pacers’ bench has been a problem.There have been far too many games where the starters play well enough to win. Only for the subs to lose the lead and send the game into another direction. Although Individually no one player has really stood out as a problem. Once again it was a complete overhaul that largely has failed them to this point. Only Rodney Stuckey and Lavoy Allen played minutes for this same Pacer unit last year.
There have been far too many games where the starters play well enough to win only for the subs to lose the lead and send the game into another direction. Although Individually no one player has really stood out as a problem for the entire season it was a complete overhaul that largely has failed them to this point. Only Rodney Stuckey and Lavoy Allen played minutes for this same Pacer unit last year.
With a few new faces on the unit it has taken and will continue to take time to adjust. Bird had one thing in mind when constructing this team: Can they put the basketball through the hoop? When thinking of the main guys on this unit it is fairly obvious that they have the exact same strengths. As well as the exact same weaknesses, which has presented problems.
In the backcourt, we have two ball-dominant guards that cannot shoot. In the frontcourt we have two old-school bigs who really struggle on the defensive end and also can’t space the floor. This has led to porous defense and at times stagnant offense.
Bench Play Showing Progress
Nate McMillan deserves a ton of credit for dealing with all of the roster reshuffling. He has not been scared about trying different combinations in search of finding one that sticks. The more this team plays as a whole the closer I think Nate is to ultimately finding his dream rotations. Starting with the easiest move, which was moving Monta to the bench. Ellis is a natural sixth man and can become a microwave at times.
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As the year progresses the backcourt in the second unit continues to look more relaxed and comfortable. Either player can serve as your point while the other is left to attack and slash on the wing. Using this backcourt has proved to be a brilliant move for this unit’s versatility and overall aggressiveness.
I have also liked (at times) what Al Jefferson brings to the table as well. He is a low post veteran who can get a basket at any time. Although Big Al struggles guarding today’s offensive schemes and pick and roll sets. He can be counted on as a go-to scorer and consistently punish second units with an array of post moves.
Just as these key cogs in the second unit begin to find their comfort zone it has made a positive difference. Indy’s bench looks much better than it did back in the early months of the season.
Don’t forget that it was the bench that got the Pacers back into the game in their win over the Houston Rockets. Coming out of the All-Star Break, it is ranked 9th in the NBA in terms of net rating.
Finding the Right Combination Moving Forward
The big question is, who can you count on to provide stability at the 3 and the 4 positions. One of those positions is no longer a question as GRIII has proved to be a very valuable asset. Glenn has shown great 3 and D potential while filling two huge needs for this bench. With three guys 30 years old or older, youth is the answer.
I would go with Rakeem Christmas at the four. Christmas has shown a similar skill set to Lavoy Allen as a rebounder and low post defender, which at times proves very valuable. The match-up problems would still exist as well as the floor-spacing issues. But, with the limited options, this is the one Nate should pursue. The reason why you play Rakeem over Lavoy is simply youth. Typically experience trumps youth but with 3 veteran leaders already on this unit, getting younger could be exactly what is needed.
As Rakeem gets more and more minutes I would expect him to gain confidence and get comfortable in his surroundings. For a young player this makes the world of difference, just ask Glenn Robinson III.
The potential for the second unit to be in the top half of the league is definitely there. Just as the teams overall potential to be a contending team can easily be seen. But, at this point in the season, the growth of the bench must shift into results for this team to get where they need to go.