Which NBA Draft prospects would be worth trading up for the Indiana Pacers?
There is still plenty of time before the Indiana Pacers will know when they are slated to pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Still, they are projected to be in the lottery or close to it as their season slowly goes further downhill.
If the Pacers do land a pick near the back of the lottery and wish to trade up, they should do exactly that to make their roster better. This year’s draft class has a lot of talent and big names that will be available when Indiana is on the clock and several more that would be well worth a trade-up to go get.
Of course, trading up would require the Pacers to move off of some of their current assets and even future picks but that should not be too much of a problem. The clear path to a major leap in the draft is to move on from the Turbonis pairing and trading either Myles Turner or Domantas Sabonis.
No, I am not advocating a trade of either player directly but this season has shown that the two simply do not fit together in the starting lineup but both are deserving of starting minutes in the NBA. At some point, the Pacers have to move to a more modern approach and fill out a better lineup.
Scottie Barnes – Forward (Florida State)
This is a very clear and obvious choice for the Pacers heading into the draft cycle. Scottie Barnes is exactly what this team needs as someone who can play the wing and serve as the four rather than running an old-school two-big lineup.
He can do it all as a perimeter defender, which has been the biggest problem for the Pacers this season. Aside from Myles Turner and the occasional T.J. McConnell performance, this team has not done a good job defensively. Adding a player like Barnes with length and versatility on that end will do wonders for the defense in the future.
Scottie Barnes has all of the traits to be a stud in the NBA on both ends of the floor and his quickness is a big reason for that. He is also a strong passer and playmaker with the ball which aids his less-than-lethal jump shot that we saw at Florida State.
Barnes did not boast big shooting numbers as a freshman, hitting on just 27.5 percent of his three-point attempts and 62.1 percent of his free throws. The good news for the Pacers, Barnes will not be expected to be a dynamic shot-creator and scorer. They have plenty of those guys on the roster and I would expect most of them to return next season.
Between Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, and Malcolm Brogdon, the Pacers have enough guys who can score from the perimeter and set up shots for themselves when needed. Barnes would simply be a high-upside guy who can help defend the wing and attack the basket.
Moses Moody – Guard/Forward (Arkansas)
If the Pacers want more offense out of the draft – while also not sacrificing much on the defensive end, Moses Moody would be a great option. Moody shined for Arkansas this season and will be a lottery pick come draft time. However, he may be a lot easier to get to than Barnes, who may require a top-five pick to land. Moody should fall somewhere in the 8-12 range right now if I had to guess.
As a freshman, Moody averaged 16.8 points per game on .427/.358/.812 shooting splits and helped carry the Razorbacks deep into the NCAA tournament. He is another high-upside player with long arms and a knack for making plays on both ends of the floor. He is also a reliable free-throw shooter, which has been a trend for the Pacers this season.
Moody struggles a bit with taking care of the ball and as a creator for others but he is still very much a young player who can clean a lot of things up. His frame needs to be added to as well but the traits and length are too good to pass up for a team desperate to get better on the perimeter.
If Moody slips into the bottom half of the top-10 and the Pacers still haven’t made a selection, trading up to secure him is the right move. He can be a spot-starter when injuries inevitably strike this team but can also be a very good second-unit wing next to Doug McDermott or Justin Holiday.
Jonathan Kuminga -Forward (G-League)
Another explosive, long, high-ceiling wing that would fill a massive need for the Pacers? Sign me up. If this list looks repetitive, that’s a good thing! There’s a reason the Pacers need to move up to secure a top-level wing in this draft class. Their guards are capable of being good players in this league, between LeVert and Brogdon, and the current centers are still capable of playing at a high level.
Even if they keep the starting five intact, the Pacers would still need to ensure the bench is deep at the most important position on the floor, the perimeter. Jonathan Kuminga enters this draft as a top-five player on the board and will certainly have high expectations as he hits the next level.
He’s an explosive athlete that loves to play above the rim, the type of player the Pacers have not had recently. Sure, the Cassius Stanley draft pick was in the same avenue, but Kuminga is on a different planet than Stanley as a player.
Kuminga averaged 15.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game in the G-League this season while playing a lot of guys who have already spent time in the NBA. He can be a reliable scorer in the NBA, especially when he attacks the basket and looks for contact.
The biggest critique of Kuminga as things stand is his inability to hit shots from the outside and the poor shot selection that comes with it. He only shot 24.6 percent from deep in the G-League but attempted 5.5 threes per game, which is a questionable decision.
If Kuminga reaches his ceiling, or even anything close to it, he would be a very impactful forward for the Pacers, both as a starter and off the bench. He is the exact type of player they need to play at power forward when Turbonis eventually runs its course.