Which role players will be most impactful for the Indiana Pacers next season?
The Indiana Pacers have a quality starting lineup heading into the 2021-22 NBA season with proven players at all five spots. The bench, which has seen a bit of a shakeup this summer, is going to be a crucial spot for Indiana. Can the second unit carry the Pacers into the playoffs and perhaps even beyond the first round?
Depth is key in today’s NBA no matter how you want to slice it. That depth becomes even more valuable when teams lack a superstar, which the Pacers fit. Domantas Sabonis is the team’s best player as things stand and while he is a great frontcourt guy, he is not quite a superstar in the league.
Indiana needs to find enough help from the rest of the roster to form a strong enough squad this season and find success under Rick Carlisle. For the sake of argument, the five expected starters will not qualify for role players this season. They all have proven roles and will play major minutes once again.
So, which of the remaining players are going to be the crucial pieces in getting the Indiana Pacers back into the mix in the Eastern Conference? Here are the three most important players who will start the season on Indiana’s bench.
T.J. McConnell is the Indiana Pacers’ best bench player
After retaining T.J. McConnell in free agency, it is clear that the Indiana Pacers focused on keeping a reliable veteran to lead the second unit. They had their chances in the 2021 NBA Draft to get younger at that spot but passed on players like Sharife Cooper and Tre Mann.
I would have been fine with taking a chance on the younger guys and developing a nice young core off the bench with Chris Duarte but McConnell has given them no reason to move on yet. In fact, he signed a four-year, $35 million contract to stay with the Pacers. As the primary ball-handler off the bench, McConnell will be vital to Indiana’s success next season.
The bench will have a handful of scoring options which I will get to here in a bit. McConnell, who is not much of a shooter, is still arguably the most important player to come off their bench. His ability to hit open teammates is far more valuable than him hoisting threes when he lacks the confidence to hit them.
McConnell is also a force on the defensive end, coming up with timely steals and being a pest on inbounds passes. As long as he stays aggressive on both ends, he will be the team’s sixth man while also playing major minutes to accompany the starting lineup.
Chris Duarte will carry the bench scoring for the Indiana Pacers
The early reports of Chris Duarte in his first summer have been nothing short of exciting. He was a star in the Summer League – even though he was not selected to the All Summer League Team – and has the making of being an immediate impact player. His offense has been quite promising as a potential replacement for Doug McDermott.
Indiana lost a key bench scorer when Doug signed with the Spurs this offseason. Duarte, who was selected with the 13th overall pick, will have big shoes to fill and joins a team that rarely relies on rookies. This year will be an important one for the Pacers as they look to get early contributions from their rookie class.
Duarte is perhaps the best overall scorer on the second unit with Justin Holiday being the only contender to challenge him right now. Other guys can step up and help but none of the other rotational options are as skilled and versatile on that end as Duarte. In the Summer League, Duarte put up monster numbers that included 18.3 points per game while hitting 48.3 percent of his threes.
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The defense from Duarte is also impressive, which gives some hope as to what he can accomplish in his rookie season. The Pacers have a high-impact rookie ready to help carry them back to the playoffs in his first season.
Oshae Brissett fills a major hole for the Indiana Pacers
After getting his opportunity at the end of last season, Oshae Brissett is primed for a large role off the bench once again in 2021-22. Expectations may still be a bit too high after his hot play down the stretch but his role moving forward should be pretty obvious.
The Pacers need someone who can give them minutes in the frontcourt beyond Turner, Sabonis, and Bitadze. Isaiah Jackson looks like a promising prospect who can play the four and five but the Pacers truly need someone with a bit more flexibility than that.
Brissett stepped up last season and filled in a number of holes whenever he was needed. He even started a game at center when the ailing Pacers were desperate for numbers. Heading into next season, he should be viewed as a wing defender who can contribute on the other end while also helping out against bigs.
Indiana lacks perimeter defenders but with Warren returning to the starting lineup, there will be some improvement there. Brissett behind him is a major bonus and his fit next to Duarte in the second unit should be plenty of fun to watch. Brissett is probably the most versatile player on Indiana’s bench right now and his development next season could be what makes or breaks their season.