Why Nate McMillan Can’t Fix the Inconsistent Indiana Pacers
By Ben Gibson
Nate McMillan’s Bench Puzzle
If McMillan's going to play Al, he can't play Monta, Rodney, & Lavoy. If he's going to play Monta, Rodney, & Lavoy, he can't play Al.
— Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) March 9, 2017
Caitlin Cooper of Indy Cornrows pointed out earlier this month that McMillan’s biggest issue with getting the bench to function is finding a combination that works. There is talent on the bench, but it doesn’t mesh well together.
In the Pacers’ situation, I don’t know who is the fox, the hen or the grain, but there are several players that don’t play well together.
This situation is akin to a river-crossing puzzle. If you don’t remember one from school, the basic idea is you have three things you need to get across a river, but certain pairs can’t exist together. One example is a fox, a hen, and some grain. Fox will eat the hen, the hen will eat the grain.
In the Pacers’ situation, I don’t know who is the fox, the hen or the grain, but there are several players that don’t play well together.
Al Jefferson needs the ball to be effective, but so do Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey. McMillan likely was ready to make a move of some sort, but divine providence took the form of a dental issue for Jefferson, opening the door for Rakeem Christmas.
While Christmas is still learning the ropes — he spent most of the past two seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the NBA Development League — he is making the Pacers a better rebounding team while not taking up the shots Jefferson took. It also allows Lavoy Allen to rip down more rebounds as well.
That allows the ball dominant guards, Ellis and Stuckey — to drive to the basket and score. It doesn’t hurt that coming out of the All-Star break Ellis is shooting 39.1% from range. That helps space the floor for both he and Stuckey.
While this works at times, but it isn’t perfect. It is working better than with Jefferson because his defense was so bad that he couldn’t score enough to overcome his own faults. This current bench rotation at least has its moments. It also helps it appears more than ever McMillan is using blended lineups to play to players strengths and weaknesses when the starters need rest.
But even with these moves, it is hard to expect Indiana’s problems to be fixed. They may work better as a team, but until proven otherwise, inconsistency is the only thing the Pacers have done consistently this season.