After months of anticipation, the 2021 NBA Draft has now reached its conclusion. The Indiana Pacers, which were looking forward to the deep pool of prospects for some momentum heading into an important offseason, managed to add some interesting rookies who can help the team in the following campaign.
A rumor-filled draft night for the Pacers resulted in some modest moves, including a bunch of intermittent moves that netted them another first-round pick in the process. That, alongside the Blue and Gold’s own lottery pick, ensured that the team welcomed two talented prospects to improve the roster’s talent and upside.
How did the Indiana Pacers fare in the 2021 NBA Draft
Interestingly, the Indiana Pacers managed to abstain from a significant move involving a key player to reshape the team, as their newfound aggressiveness in the offseason entailed. Still, the relatively smooth sailing of the draft for the team could be a sign of things to come for the franchise in the offseason.
Ultimately, how did the team fare in the 2021 NBA Draft? In this piece, we give out grades for their two draft acquisitions: Chris Duarte with the 13th overall pick and Isaiah Jackson, the 22nd selection who was acquired through a trade-up.
Did the Indiana Pacers strike gold picking Chris Duarte with the 13th pick?
To the untrained eye, picking Chris Duarte, a 24-year-old rookie from Oregon, is a downer given his limited ceiling among a crowded pool of upside-rich prospects. After all, despite his valuable skillset which should pay off with more immediacy than many of his peers, he’s far from a big swing in the lottery realm.
This selection feels like a tailor-made move given the Indiana Pacers’ current conditions, both from a roster perspective and from what makes the most sense for the coaching staff. Duarte’s NBA-ready profile and relatively exhaustive experience simply fits perfectly with the team’s win-now timeline and coach Rick Carlisle’s reluctance to put raw players into the fire.
From a purely basketball perspective with the looming matter to win with urgency, Duarte should be an immediate contributor for the Blue and Gold. His prowess as a 3-and-D guard/wing with reliable individual shot creation should thrive in Indiana, especially with Doug McDermott being a legitimate flight risk in free agency and Jeremy Lamb figured to be a foremost trade asset for the Pacers to shed some salary.
Still, without offense, it feels like the front office could’ve done better with their first lottery selection in a while, especially given the available players that were still on board at that juncture. Perhaps the saving grace here is the fact that Duarte had a lot of explicit suitors in the draft aside from the Indiana Pacers, solidifying his status as one of the most NBA-ready rookies in the upcoming season.
Grade: B-
Will trading for Isaiah Jackson swing the fences for the Indiana Pacers?
Another surprising move for the Indiana Pacers was foraying into the first-round once more after picking in the lottery. Doing so, they poached big man Isaiah Jackson who was selected 22nd overall by the Los Angeles Lakers as a part of a bigger deal which included Aaron Holiday and their 31st selection, the latter of which was also obtained from a trade with Milwaukee which cost them their 54th and 60th picks, as well as two future second-rounders.
The relatively lofty string of assets that were dangled for Jackson screams utmost necessity on Indiana’s part. However, it’s hard to fathom for a frontcourt-rich team to tab a rookie big man as an actual need, even if a subsequent move is on the horizon as expected by most, and now, by many more.
If the Pacers’ frontcourt doesn’t undergo a substantial change this offseason, it will be fair to consider this maneuver as a reach. Jackson is talented in his own right and has fine upside, but Indiana is far from an ideal fit for him and vice versa with the way things are in the present. Certainly, a big man rotation consisting of All-Star Domantas Sabonis, defensive menace Myles Turner and the developing Goga Bitadze doesn’t exactly come across as lacking, at least on the surface.
To be frank, this feels like a depth move, a Turbonis breakup notwithstanding. After all, Rick Carlisle’s penchant for a deep big man rotation composed of players with varying skillsets for strategic purposes is one of his key roster-building motifs. Acquiring Jackson is not bad per se, but the narrative becomes gloomier when considering what the Pacers did to obtain him when he doesn’t fill a position of need.
Grade: C-