Indiana Pacers: 4 draft targets that bring shooting to the roster

The Indiana Pacers have not taken the leap from beyond the arc that many expected this season. Can they change that in the 2021 NBA Draft?

Nate Bjorkgren’s hiring last offseason was supposed to bring a modern approach to the Indiana Pacers. While they have increased their three-point attempts from 28.0 per game in 2019-20 to 34.2 per game this season, the shooting has not been all that improved.

The Pacers jumped from dead last in attempts last season to 16th in the league this time around but their three-point percentage rank has dropped from 14th to 17th. Which NBA Draft targets could help improve their shooting next season?

Corey Kispert – Forward (Gonzaga)

While the trend of drafting youth and upside in the lottery is hard to pass up, Corey Kispert is the best pure shooter in this class and will be a key rotation player in the NBA for a long time. Kispert was a dominant scorer at Gonzaga for four years, three of which came as a starter on one of the nation’s top teams.

Across four seasons, the 6-foot-7 wing shot 40.8 percent from deep and averaged 11.6 points per game. If you take out his first two seasons, Kispert’s numbers are even more impressive. In his final two seasons, Kispert shot 43.9 percent from downtown and 57.8 percent from two-point range. He posted 16.2 points per game in that span while also knocking down 84.6 percent of his free throws.

Kispert has a pure stroke that will get him buckets at the next level, most likely as a role player off the bench. He has the size to be helpful on the wing defensively but teams will almost certainly value him as a shooter from the outside. He is projected to be right in the range for the Pacers after the lottery if things go as we expect.