Indiana Pacers: Somebody has to step up in the second unit

The Indiana Pacers have a lot of quality names on their bench and have seen those players shine at moments this season. Unfortunately, that has not been a consistent occurrence for the second unit, especially of late.

Some of the veterans off the bench have had their splashes this season with T.J. McConnell dominating on the defensive end and Doug McDermott casually scoring 20 points when the Pacers need buckets. Outside of that, Indiana does not have a consistent leader off the bench.

Who will step up for the Indiana Pacers off the bench?

Injuries have changed a lot of things for the Pacers this season as McDermott has done his best work in the starting lineup. Justin Holiday was expected to be the best guy off the bench, serving as a three-and-D wing. Instead, he has seen himself in the starting five all season with T.J. Warren still recovering from injury.

If Warren ever returns, I think Holiday will help man some of that responsibility but until then, I have a hard time finding someone reliable. McConnell has not been great these past few outings and McDermott does not hit his threes at a high clip. He’s connecting on just 35.4 percent of his threes off the bench compared to 39.7 percent as a starter.

Goga Bitadze has played pretty well in his limited minutes over the past few games but his playing time is extremely minuscule. He played very well against Nikola Jokic, posting three blocks, two steals, and two rebounds but was on the floor for just nine minutes.

It’s time to let Goga see the floor and become part of the rotation because Domas and Myles cannot be on the floor for 30+ minutes each night while still losing ball games. At some point, they need to rest and let the young guy learn the NBA game.

With the season nearing its close, the Pacers desperately need someone who can take advantage of the second unit and lead them on some crucial runs. Whether that is Edmond Sumner or T.J. McConnell with their energy, Aaron Holiday‘s ability to create shots, or McDermott’s shooting prowess, something has to click eventually.