The Indiana Pacers have struggled with injury but their depth is winning games.
Even with the loss of T.J. Warren and Jeremy Lamb, the Indiana Pacers have a 6-2 record thanks to a strong start from the second unit. Aaron Holiday has slid into the starting lineup, allowing Justin Holiday and Doug McDermott to provide shooting in that bench group. While Aaron has struggled on both ends so far, it has not cost the Pacers games, which shows how deep the roster truly is.
Indiana is running primarily an eight-man rotation early in the season as they await the return of Warren and Lamb. In Wednesday’s win over the Rockets, Justin Holiday and Doug McDermott joined T.J. McConnell as the only players to play off the bench. Holiday (+22), McDermott (+13), and McConnell (+16) led Indiana in plus-minus and were instrumental in the win.
Holiday and McDermott have stepped it up on the offensive end of late, giving Indiana a spark off the bench. With Aaron Holiday struggling to knock down shots, his brother has hit big shots to keep Indiana in the game. Against Houston, Justin scored 20 points on 6/9 shooting, including 3/4 from three-point range.
While McConnell looked rough in the preseason and even in the first few games of the season, he has turned things around in a big way. His energy has never been in question as he is relentless on both ends with active eyes to find the open man. His fadeaway elbow jumper is almost guaranteed money every time he shoots it as well. McConnell is averaging 4.4 assists and 1.5 steals in just 17 minutes per game this season.
Indiana is in a good spot with the rotation right now as long as Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis stay out of foul trouble. JaKarr Sampson can provide some good minutes in relief, but extended time with him on the floor may lead to some problems on both sides for Indiana. For now, the eight-man lineup is working very well and Indiana should do all it can to keep it that way.
If and when Warren and Lamb return, it will be interesting to see how minutes are spread and if they expand to a 10-man rotation. More quality players available would mean the core guys are given breathers and can take less of the workload as we head towards the playoffs. Sabonis, who has already had plantar fasciitis, is averaging a career-high 37.1 minutes per contest.
While Sabonis is the best player on the team, playing a big man that many minutes is a scary thought over the course of an entire season. Hopefully, healthy reinforcements are on the way for Indiana.