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.
Veteran free agent target for the Indiana Pacers: JJ Redick
15-year veteran JJ Redick arguably had the worst year of his career this season. Stymied by nagging injuries, one of the league’s best three-point marksmen was traded in the middle of the season, initially falling out of the rotation in New Orleans before getting shipped to Dallas, albeit on a forgettable short stint.
However, despite a down year, it would be foolish to think that the sharpshooter can’t return to form with a longer layoff for rest. After all, his norm is a career 41.5 percent three-point mark, a clip much higher than the relatively subpar 37.1 percent accuracy he registered this season. Clearly, the Redick still has something left in the tank, assuming he doesn’t retire.
His on-court prowess is well-documented, but his strong locker room presence is enough on its own to woo the Pacers into signing him. He’s hard on the young guys and pushes them on their floor regardless of his role on the floor. As an added bonus, he almost signed with Indiana in 2018, so the franchise should be familiar with him already.
Veteran free agent target for the Indiana Pacers: Jared Dudley
Unlike Redick, 14-year veteran Jared Dudley has mostly been a non-factor on the court in the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. While he is known more for his social media shenanigans nowadays, the versatile shooter is an important figure for the teams he has played for and there’s a good reason why.
A role player for his entire career, Dudley has made a living by being a glue guy. He’s not the best individual defender, but his cerebral way of irking opponents and vocal leadership made him an indispensable locker room guy over the years. It’s the foremost reason why the Lakers re-signed him despite being unplayable in their title run last year.
Similar to Al Jefferson, Dudley can still play situationally and make an impact. Aside from his forte as a glue guy, he can shoot the three well, canning 39.3 percent of his triples for his career. It’s also relatively easier to obtain him, especially with the Lakers presumably up for bigger and loftier roster plans after a disappointing title defense.
Veteran free agent target for the Indiana Pacers: Gorgui Dieng
31-year-old Gorgui Dieng has been one of the most silently effective big men in the league for quite some time now. The Senegalese big man, in his stops with Minnesota, Memphis and San Antonio, has been a constant supplier of efficient, heady and all-around production from the center position.
While his latest stint with the Spurs was not impactful due to a shoulder injury, the 6’10 center still provides solid on-court production while serving as a great mentor for the team’s big men, especially Goga Bitadze. Both of them possess similar skillsets as centers who can play down low, shoot from the perimeter and pass a bit.
It remains to be seen what the market for Dieng could look like, but the Indiana Pacers will certainly benefit from having the big man on board. In this list, he’ll probably see the floor the most, especially with the team’s frontcourt pieces having exhaustive track records with injuries.
Veteran free agent target for the Indiana Pacers: Garrett Temple
Versatile swingman Garrett Temple has been playing in the league longer than you think. The 35-year-old Louisiana native is an 11-year well-travelled veteran who has had stints with 10 (!) different teams. For his career, he’s averaging a 7.6/2.9/2.2 stat line while consistently proving to be a high-character locker room leader and a productive cog on the floor.
Last season, he managed to eke out a productive year for the Chicago Bulls, averaging 27.3 minutes per game with 25 starts in 56 appearances. Clearly, despite his age, the veteran can still thrive in big opportunities, especially with his basketball IQ, defensive prowess and interchangeability on offense, being able to play both backcourt positions and as a small forward.
Most importantly, Indiana’s young backcourt needs a lot of finetuning and guidance to sharpen up their games. Having played for a lot of teams with different styles and philosophies, Garrett Temple should be a more than ideal fit for the team, not only with his locker room presence, but also his niche as a great utility player.