Pacers lineups we’re excited about: Versatility on offense and defense
Continuing our series of “lineups we’re excited for,” here’s one for the Indiana Pacers that focuses on versatility on both ends of the floor.
Saturday, we looked at a three guard, two big lineup we’re looking forward to watching. Sunday, we covered a lineup of shooters. So here’s another contribution to the conversation about what lineups we want to see the Indiana Pacers roll out next season. This one combines versatility on offense and defense and should be very fun to watch! Let’s take a look at a rotation featuring:
Staring with the guards, we have a lot of height and length, key pieces for a good defensive back court. Brogdon is 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan, while Oladipo is right behind him at 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan. Both of these players can defend positions 1-3 if need be, and can switch on almost everything.
They also compliment each other well on defense, with Oladipo able to stick to the quicker guards in the league or jump passing lanes when playing off ball, while Brogdon can take the larger of the two opposing guards or take the most important defensive assignment so Victor can focus on offense.
Speaking of offense, these two are just as good of a fit together here. When Oladipo wants to run the offense and make plays, Brogdon can play off-ball at a high level. His IQ and shooting ability allow him to move well without the ball and knock down catch and shoot 3s. Vic, meanwhile, can look to beat his man off the dribble or work with Sabonis/Turner in the pick and roll, something we’ve seen him do quite well.
When Vic doesn’t want the ball coming down the floor, he can trust that Brogdon will make the right decisions and get it where it needs to go, either running the offense or making a play himself. Brogdon has stated repeatedly in interviews that all he wants to do is make Victor’s life easier, and that should happen on both offense and defense.
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Moving on to the 3, Jeremy Lamb functions as the key piece that makes this lineup work (beyond Sabonis and Turner working out, but we’ll get to that). T.J. Warren will probably start for most or all of the season, but I think Lamb fits into this lineup just a bit better. He has the same height and wingspan as Brogdon, allowing him to defend 1-3.
He’s never been seen as a good defender, but the Pacers’ defensive scheme can hide lackluster defensive ability. It revolves around teamwork and working hard to cover for the next guy, so as long as Lamb is solid and gives effort, he should be okay. With Brogdon and Oladipo locking down the guards and Myles Turner defending the rim, Lamb just needs to buy into the defensive scheme and work hard. He has the physical tools for this, so it will come down to Nate getting him to use them.
Offense is where Lamb is more valuable. He’s a proven scorer, and would be the 2nd or 3rd option in this lineup, a spot I think is perfect for him. While he should play well as a sixth man and torch opposing benches, I worry about him forcing offense when we don’t have a ton of scorers on the bench. In this lineup, he can let the offense come to him a bit better.
Brogdon and Oladipo can get him the ball in the right spots, he can knock down 3s off drive and kicks, and he can beat his man off the dribble when called upon. I like the guy, and I think he makes this lineup successful and fun.
Now for the twin towers. On paper, Sabonis and Turner should compliment each other like chocolate and peanut butter. Sabonis likes to work on the block on offense while Myles likes the perimeter. Sabonis struggles defending the rim while Myles is the best in the league at it. They’re good friends and want to work together, so why is there so much doubt surrounding this? Well, neither one of them can defend the perimeter all that well.
If this was the 1980s, then it’s no issue. But in 2019, most fours can step out and hit threes, some at a very high level. For this lineup to work defensively, Sabonis needs to improve his foot speed and lateral quickness. He doesn’t need to be a lock-down defender, but he has to be solid, both inside and on the perimeter.
Myles has to defend the paint. It would be a waste of his skill set to make him guard perimeter players. It’s on Domas (and by extension, Nate and the rest of the coaching staff) to find a way to defend effectively here.
As for offense, I’m more optimistic. Let Domas bang on the block and let Myles shoot. Both can set good screens (we could see some cool double screen actions with them together) and both can roll or pop out for a shot. I’m very interested to see if Nate can find some creative way to let them work together as they’re taller than most starting front courts in the league. Sabonis is a great passer and Myles can dunk or shoot over just about anyone, so I’d love to see some fun and unique sets with these guys.
The key place this lineup struggles is against superstar small forwards, and oh boy, there’s a lot of them in this league. In theory, a strong perimeter and strong rim protection leaves only the mid-range for opposing teams to exploit. In practice, I could see his lineup getting burned by players like LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Kawhi Leonard.
With the right defensive scheme, I think it could work, but that requires Nate McMillan and Dan Burke figuring out something that maximizes each players’ strengths and hides their defensive weaknesses.
Next. Analyzing the Pacers' depth chart. dark
Overall, I think this lineup can excel on offense and defense, but there’s key pieces that need to work. Lamb needs to be solid on defense, and Myles/Domas has to work, but there’s a lot of potential here and it should be fun to watch. These are all young guys, and this offense could be explosive (and super fun in transition), so I’m excited to see it in action once the Indiana Pacers are back in action.