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Which Pacers will be affected most by postseason minutes crunch?

By Dylan Hughes

BOSTON, MA - MARCH 11: Trevor Booker #20 and Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers react during a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MA - MARCH 11: Trevor Booker #20 and Glenn Robinson III #40 of the Indiana Pacers react during a game against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on March 11, 2018 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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When the postseason rolls around, starters see the floor more while reserves get their minutes cut. Which Pacers will be affected most?

The Indiana Pacers have finished their regular season up with a 48-34 record and are slated for a first-round matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. It’s an annual postseason tradition for minutes to be cut for certain bench players, and despite the fact that Indiana holds numerous reserves deserving regular season minutes, it will not go down like that.

The starters deserve the minutes, and they will get the minutes.

Certain reserves won’t lose much time—Cory Joseph, Lance Stephenson and Domantas Sabonis (save for spurts of displayed inexperience) have almost certainly established that they belong.

The ninth spot in the rotation is where minutes will be split if not slashed completely.

Who will be fighting for that ninth spot?

Trevor Booker

Since signing with Indiana at the beginning of March, Booker has given everything the Pacers have needed from him. Relieving Thaddeus Young, Booker has done a nice job making effort plays and doing the dirty work down low.

He’s been a nice fit with the bench as he doesn’t need the ball in his hands too long to make a play. Feed him on the block and he can score or pass out of a post-up.

In the playoffs, though, what Indiana will need from Booker is defense. Young will most likely be the guy Nate McMillan sticks on LeBron James, and once Young out of the game, they are going to need bodies to throw at him.

Theoretically, Booker would make sense. He’s mobile on the perimeter and strong enough to bang with James. No one will stop LeBron, of course, but Booker could make him work a little bit harder.

Glenn Robinson III

For an offense that has somewhat sputtered in recent months, Robinson III is the more attractive option. It’s hard to judge what Robinson III really is at this point, as he slowly worked himself back from an ankle injury that held him out for five months. With rotations set, Robinson III wasn’t going to get 20-30 minutes off the bat.

In the past three games—in which he played 20, 24 and 40 minutes—Robinson III seems to be back to what he was pre-injury. In those three games, Robinson III shot 9-of-14 from three.

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How real is that shooting? It is a small sample size, and there is no significant evidence to support that Robinson III is anything more than an above-average shooter.

An above-average shooter, of course, is not an accurate description of Booker—so he’s got him beat there.

There is also no significant evidence to suggest that Robinson III is an above-average defender. That’s what will make this decision tough for McMillan—Robinson III has not played enough professional basketball to make him a reliable postseason presence.

That’s what made the Robinson III preseason injury hurt so bad—this was supposed to be Indiana’s chance to see what they had before he hit the free agency market in the summer of 2018.

Now McMillan is here, hoping what Robinson III has flashed in spurts throughout his career is real. Looking at the matchup and Indiana’s need for another reliable three-point shooter, it seems likely that Robinson III will get time—but McMillan may not give him a long leash.

It is fair to assume that McMillan will give both guys some run, and how much either get may just depend on the day. It will also depend on how McMillan wants to combat Cleveland’s offense, which ranked fifth this season and headed by one of the great offensive talents the league has ever seen.

If he wants to try to outscore the Cavaliers, Robinson III may be the guy. If he wants to throw as many big defenders at them as possible, it may be Booker.

Next: Victor Oladipo for MIP or we riot

Whoever it may be, McMillan and the Pacers better hope that guy gives them enough to give Cleveland some trouble.

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