It’s official: the Indiana Pacers will be selecting 13th in the NBA Draft after last night’s lottery. The news came as no shock to the Blue and Gold faithful, even the uber-hopeful ones, given that the team bannered with them a near-certain 92.0 percent of securing the same pick.
While it’s arguably hard to acquire an instant game-changer in the late lottery, this upcoming crop of rookies is slated to be one of the deepest yet in recent memory. With the 2021 NBA Draft class consisting of talented prospects across the board, the Pacers will surely have a lot of options to maneuver around their pick.
The Indiana Pacers may be in for a pleasant surprise in the 2021 NBA Draft
In the face of many viable options, decisions become harder to make. This is especially true in the looming draft, where the abundance of talents will force teams to cross out a lot of talented names on their respective lists. After all, aside from the top 4, there isn’t a consensus about how the rest of the draft will pan out.
This uncertainty may be a golden opportunity for teams in the back end of the lottery, like Charlotte, San Antonio, Indiana and Golden State. With much more leeway and cushion to make an easier choice (other than the ones picking fourth or above), these teams may find themselves plucking out a surprising prospect projected to be selected earlier. Here are three players who may surprisingly fall to 13th in the hands of the Indiana Pacers.