How Malcolm Brogdon and Jeremy Lamb fit with the Indiana Pacers

Front Court

Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner will be filling out the starting lineup. They both excel at half of the center’s positional requirements, and this is why they should be able to play together. Sabonis is much better on offense, Turner is much better on defense; play both of them at center on their respective stronger ends of the floor then flip the roles on the other. Turner already likes to stretch and shoot threes, while Sabonis enjoys the fight inside.

T.J. Warren, at first blush, plays a style that would fit as a three-man front-court rotation with Sabonis and Turner. Play the two centers together, then insert Warren in to play when either Sabonis or Turner sits. Another layer could also be playing Warren, a combo forward, as the starting small forward while moving Lamb to the bench.

That would decrease the unit’s athleticism, but would open up room for T.J. Leaf to play a steady stretch four role off the bench providing more shooting. On the surface, it would make more sense to deploy Warren at the four, where he thrived in Phoenix, while entrusting the three to Lamb. But that makes room for Leaf tougher to find. In any event, there is flexibility at the three now.

The last piece is the Pacers’ draft pick, Goga Bitadze, who has a multi-dimensional offensive game and provides strong shot-blocking that will give the Pacers the second shot-blocker they lacked last season. Now when Turner is out, the entire defense won’t go to hell.

When the dust settles, we’ll be better able to evaluate where the Indiana Pacers stack up with the opposition. But a quick conclusion: The Pacers have revamped themselves and are much more dynamic than last season’s edition. The Pacers are attacking the East. They’ve plucked a key player from a division rival in Malcolm Brogdon. They’ve added an explosive wing in Jeremy Lamb. More stories will be written, so stay tuned as free agency continues.