Indiana Pacers: 4 veteran free agents to improve the locker room

One of the many factors which hampered the Indiana Pacers this season was the locker room issues catalyzed by the recently-fired Nate Bjorkgren’s abrasive communication style and micromanagement. Combine that with persistent instability brought by another injury-marred campaign, it’s no surprise that the team finds itself currently in the ping-pong race.

Pacers President Kevin Pritchard, in his exit interview, acknowledged that the team needs a strong vocal leader in the locker room to take things up a notch. He noted how former player Al Jefferson helped established a strong locker room culture in the team. Clearly, snagging a veteran cog for a locker room upgrade will be on the team’s bucket list in the offseason.

The Indiana Pacers need a locker room upgrade

Talent is of paramount importance, but without a strong support system, it can only take you so far. The Indiana Pacers don’t have an All-NBA level player, but even in the not-so-distant past, the team relied on chemistry and togetherness to garner wins and remain competitive. Before the recently concluded season, the Blue and Gold finished no worse than 5th in the East.

Of course, the prospect of in-house locker room improvement cannot be discounted, with Malcolm Brogdon and TJ Warren taking steps to become more vocal leaders, but having the right veterans can almost immediately steady the ship on the chemistry front. Thus, we zoom in on four veteran free agents who can improve the locker room for the Pacers.