Indiana Pacers Prospects: Josh Giddey, the 6-foot-8 passing guru

Josh Giddey as a Pacers lead guard

Offense: Could help run either bench or starting unit early.

In a world where Malcolm Brogdon is still on the Pacers next season, and I hope he is, Giddey would most likely come off the bench. Even if he does become a starter, I don’t see Malcolm and Josh getting into each other’s way too much. If Malcolm Brogdon can work with T.J. McConnell, it’s reasonable to assume that he’d play just fine off of the upgrade in Josh Giddey.

I tend to hope the Pacers trade Sabonis for assets this offseason, and this would be influential in Josh’s development via the spacing Myles Turner and three other shooters would create for him to murder defenses with.

Players like the aforementioned T.J. McConnell and Malcolm Brogdon could also bode well in leadership roles, as both are great leaders and floor generals alike. His passing would aid the developmental progressions of youngsters on the roster like Edmond Sumner, Oshae Brissett, Goga Bitadze, Myles Turner, Aaron Holiday, and rookie Cassius Stanley.

His pace and overall control of the game while simultaneously being able to confidently make decisions on the fly could make the Navy and Gold a very efficient and fluid offense in the long term, especially if his streaky off-the-dribble pull-up can become more consistent.

His drive and launches to the team’s hired snipers Justin Holiday, Dougie McBuckets, and eventually T.J. Warren would possibly allow more touches, and in turn production, for these efficiently productive bucket getters.

I said it earlier, but this selection would be huge for Goga, as he’d have a player that knows how to beautifully utilize players of his mold. It’d be commonplace to see Josh floating lobs for Goga slams, or utilizing some stupidly brilliant entry pass into the 6-foot-11 behemoth.

Defense: Solid lane thievery, maybe some communication

I don’t expect Josh to be a day one defensive stalwart by any stretch of the imagination, but his quick hands and tendency to call out needed defensive rotations in action will absolutely carry over.

He could end possessions when ball handlers get walled off by the big men down low via the aforementioned ability to intercept passes. He wouldn’t be a lead initiator defender, and that’s ok! His value is obviously on the offensive end, but I don’t see him being one of the worst defenders in the NBA because his size and IQ alone should allow him to add value.

Would the Pacers be able to pick him?