8 Points, 9 Seconds Draft Roundtable: Who should the Pacers take?
By Ryan Eggers
Thinking realistically, what pool of players would you like to see considered with the No. 23 spot?
Matthes: Not a center, there are a ton of centers in this draft and Indiana needs none of them. Same case for a ball-dominant guard, if the selectee can’t play off-the-ball it would be a waste of a pick. A guard who can compliment Oladipo and stretch the floor, however, that would be the ticket. There are a lot of options there and would be a smart group to target. And you can never have enough shooting.
East: My group would be the Jalen Brunson, Troy Brown, Keita Bates-Diop, Kevin Huerter, and Gary Trent. All of those guys have shown that they are talented at multiple skills and could be great NBA players at some point. And they all could be available at 23.
Hughes: I would be surprised if Zhaire Smith was still available at 23. DiVincenzo may still be available. If neither are there, though, taking a shot on USC’s De’Anthony Melton may be a worthy risk. He has a raw offensive game with a lot of room to grow as a shooter. Melton has good vision as a passer, though, and is a great rebounder for his position. Where he really shines is on defense. For fans that want to sign Marcus Smart this summer, Melton may turn into a cheaper option with more time to develop his jumper. Creighton’s Khyri Thomas should have no problem shooting over 40 percent from deep and has the tools to defend well on the perimeter. I wouldn’t be upset if they took him.
Kiesel: If I had to pick four players that I could see the Pacers possibly selecting, it would probably be Aaron Holiday, who may or may not fall to Indiana, Jalen Brunson, who would definitely be a little bit of a reach, Keita Bates-Diop, or Jacob Evans. Although it may be a reach, the player I’d most like to see in Indiana might have to be Jalen Brunson.
He’s last year’s Men’s College Player of the Year, a two-time NCAA champion with, and Nova coach Jay Wright has recently described him as, “a combination of Randy Foye and Kyle Lowry, the best of both”. Aaron Holiday is also a decent point guard the Pacers could pick up. The brother of Pelicans point guard Jrue Holiday, he’s a good catch and shoot player, and can get crafty near the rim if he has to. While I don’t think he will fall to the Pacers, he’s another player I would be fine with Indiana grabbing.
If the Pacers want to go for someone at the small forward slot, I could definitely see them going after Bates-Diop or Jacob Evans. They both are above-average shooters, but Jacob Evans has this drive on defense that I don’t always see in Bates-Diop. Once again, I’d be content with Indiana selecting either one of these guys, should they choose to go for a forward over a point guard.
Eggers: The Indiana Pacers are probably looking at a list of guards and wings, including Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Khyri Thomas, Keita Bates-Diop, etc. At the 23 pick, the Pacers will have to be a lot more flexible than usual. Things may shake out a lot differently than planned, especially with a draft class as unique as this one. Don’t be surprised to see moves made if the Pacers start losing their big board in the late teens.