Indiana Pacers: 4 rotation mistakes Coach Rick Carlisle must avoid

The Indiana Pacers should minimize two-big configurations

The Indiana Pacers have been, for quite some time, one of the league’s anomalies. Starting two centers in Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner, the Blue and Gold have zagged while the rest zigged with their small-ball solutions, but results have been mixed.

Last season, the Turbonis duo registered a paltry plus/minus rating of -3.1. Factoring in backup Goga Bitadze doesn’t swing the fences positively either, s two-man lineups with him and Domas was only good for a 0.7 point differential.

Aside from the starting unit, where Turner and Sabonis are almost required to start due to their talent, Rick Carlisle and the Indiana Pacers should veer away from deploying two-big configurations for the most part, especially with the team’s abundance of small-ball frontcourt options.

The catch is, Rick Carlisle has shown a proclivity for countering opposing small-ball lineups by doubling down on size. In Dallas, he frequently went to two-big lineups to challenge downsizing teams on the block and take the scoring pressure away from their backcourt weapons. While it was good in throwing opponents off, it hasn’t really translated to meaningful wins.