With so many one-way wings on the roster, the Indiana Pacers have a glaring issue in the form of guarding elite wings.
The Indiana Pacers have one of the best problems to have from an asset perspective: too many bucket-getters on the wing. With net-tearers like the smooth three-level scoring T.J Warren, pull-up shooting assassin Caris LeVert, Dougie McBuckets, Justin Holiday, the newly healthy Jeremy Lamb, and of course the likely All-Star Malcolm Brogdon all flanking the All-NBA offensive engine that is Domantas Sabonis, it’s feasible to say the Pacers have the firepower to shoot with anyone.
The obvious problem though is that all of the aforementioned players, with the exception of Brogdon, aren’t always exactly positives on the defensive end. This really shows just how valuable Myles Turner is, as the team’s unlikely 110 Defensive Rating (14th in the league), is in my opinion much higher than I’d expect. Without Turner and his Defensive Player of the Year impact, it’s hard to see the Pacers cracking the top 20 with the remaining construction of this roster.
We can’t keep putting the state of one side of the floor on one player’s shoulders like this team has done to Turner this season, as he’s already logging 32 minutes a game as a young big.
Here are some trade ideas to provide Turner with some help on the defensive end of the floor prior to this season’s deadline.
Trade No. 1
Pacers Recieve: Josh Okogie
Timberwolves Recieve: Goga Bitadze
Before the Goga Bitadze fanboys tear this article to shreds through their computer screens, I invite you to at least watch this kid Okogie’s defensive highlights, and you’ll get a general idea of how special the former Yellow Jacket can be on the ugly end of the floor, and how good he already is.
Watching Josh play, a few things are noticeable right away: he has an unmatched motor and seems to hold pride in defending the opposing team’s best player, and his defensive physicality and fundamentals are normally only possessed by players in year seven.
Okogie, who just turned 22 in September, already shows the intangibles and ability to be an elite defender in only his third season. He reads passing lanes like a free safety, shields off drivers with a strong lower body paired with a stern 213-pound frame that easily absorbs contact from wings, and is a pretty smart team defender and weakside rim protector if needed. But it doesn’t just end there, as Josh has the lateral movement and speed to be able to swarm perimeter initiators and keep them in front when combining this with that aforementioned strength.
6-foot-4 may appear a tad short to guard top-level forwards, but his 7-foot wingspan more than makes up for it, and he utilizes it perfectly when causing havoc in either drive or passing lanes, perfectly timing contests on jumpers and layups, and even working as a tertiary rim protector.
Offensively, despite having a lackluster jump shot at this point, he could in theory still find a lot of value when playing off of the beautiful passing we are blessed to see every game by Brogdon and Sabonis, and I think his slashing and cutting could actually add value to a Pacer team that is lacking both of those skills.
Why would the T-Wolves want to do this trade?
Besides Superstar Karl Anthony Towns at the five, Minnesota doesn’t have a lot of upside or current production at that spot, as Naz Reid and Juan Hernangomez both seem best-suited at the four spot. With Goga, the Wolves could have a legit starter-level prospect after only expending a position that they’ve already put so much investment into already: the wing.
After spending lottery picks on players like Jarrett Culver and Anthony Edwards, as well as giving young scorer Malik Beasley a 4 year, $60 million contract, it seems they’ve found the guys they are going to want to pay for the future at that wing spot. Besides, Okogie’s main flaw is that he isn’t a positive shooter at this point in his career, and offensively he really only offers cutting, putback dunks, and transition effort plays thanks to his verticality and solid finishing touch.
In an offense featuring pick and roll maestros like KAT and D’Lo, it makes it hard to justify having a non-shooter like Okogie on the floor.
Trade No. 2
Pacers Recieve: Donte DiVincenzo
Bucks Receive: Goga Bitadze, Aaron Holiday
Why would the Pacers make this trade?
Before the person reading this asks if I’m some sort of Goga hater or if I undervalue Aaron Holiday and his shot-creating and passing upside, the answer to both of these questions is no. I simply value Donte DiVincenzo’s two-way impact on this team more than the skillsets that the aforementioned Pacers possess. It’s not hard getting a backup big man in this league, and Aaron just simply holds a skill-set redundancy on this roster that I’ve already mentioned.
In Donte, the Pacers get one of the better wing defenders at his position in the NBA, let alone under the age of 25. I gassed up Josh Okogie plenty, but even he isn’t the defender that Donte is. His defensive fundamentals are absolutely next level, as he rarely commits dumb fouls on opposing players thanks to his intuitiveness when applying contact with his hands.
Lots of young players have an awful habit of putting their arms on an opponent’s hip, trying to perpendicularly contest layups or shots, or even just unnecessarily make jabs at the ball. Donte simply doesn’t make these mistakes because he has the rare ability to keep his hands straight up while simultaneously sliding laterally to keep up with initiators. Not only is this exceptionally annoying to try and create against, but it’s almost impossible to draw fouls on players like DiVinzcenzo who’s mastered this skill.
We haven’t even mentioned what he can do off the ball, as he brings the same off-ball value that Okogie does with even better rotations and defensive IQ. With how good Donte is on the ball, you could still argue he’s even better as an off-ball defender.
Offensively, Donte projects as a legit shooter even though the volume may show differently. He has solid mechanics and a quick release, and his off-ball movement and solid playmaking abilities net him as a positive player on offense who would fit seamlessly next to Sabonis and Brogdon.
Why would the Bucks do this Trade?
With the backup spots for the Bucks looking awfully bleak from a long-term perspective, Aaron could use his star-level brother Jrue as a mentor, and Goga could do the same with Brook Lopez. In an ideal world, it’s not outlandish to project Aaron and Goga turning into these types of players with the right development, which could in theory increase Giannis’s window.
Milwaukee could use more off-the-bounce scoring and that might be Holiday’s best tool, so I wouldn’t be surprised to even see him start alongside his brother in this situation. If Goga can continue to progress as he has so far this season, he could fill a massive backup big vacancy next to Bobby Portis on the Bucks’ bench.