Indiana Pacers: Way-too-early starting lineup predictions for 2021-22

Indiana Pacers 2021-22 Starting SG: Tim Hardaway Jr.

Now, we arrive at our first shocker for this piece. I believe that Tim Hardaway Jr. will be a wonderful fit for the Indiana Pacers with his blitzkrieg three-point shooting and improved scoring efficiency. As the sixth man for the Dallas Mavericks this season, THJ is averaging 16.6 points per game on 44.7/39.1/81.6 shooting splits.

His almost 40 percent accuracy on triples despite volume shooting is a very welcome addition to the Pacers who ranked 18th in three-point field goals made per game and 16th in three-point accuracy. While Hardaway Jr. may similarly find more success as the primary gunner off the bench, starting him will immediately pay dividends for a starting lineup that is not necessarily known for three-point marksmanship.

But all these are based on the premise that he ends up in the Circle City. As an impending free agent, he may be available for the Indiana Pacers via sign and trade as part of a bigger package, or free agency, though the latter is much more improbable because of the hefty salary that he may command in the market.

Tim Hardaway Jr. may not be the most attractive option for Pacers fans because of his notorious streaky shooting, but his improvement on being a more efficient scoring option should be more than enough to turn heads from Indiana’s front office as an electric fit for the Navy and Gold’s new fast-paced offense.