Make your pick: Who will lead the Indiana Pacers in scoring this season?

Indiana Pacers - Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Indiana Pacers - Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

With a deep and talented roster, the Indiana Pacers should be back in the mix to contend for a playoff spot this season. Part of their potential success is the abundance of scoring threats in the starting lineup that can get hot at any moment.

The Pacers have a handful of leaders who can explode for a big night any day of the week, four of which have shown the ability to average 20 points per game. Between Malcolm Brogdon, Caris LeVert, T.J. Warren, and Domantas Sabonis, Indiana has several guys who can carry the offensive load.

Who will lead the Indiana Pacers in scoring this season?

We have already taken a brief look at the excitement surrounding those four guys and how they can create a dangerous offense under Rick Carlisle. All four of them have proven themselves as resilient scorers in the past few years.

Heading into the new season with a clean slate, you could make an argument for any of these guys to lead the team in scoring. Brogdon is the primary ball-handler but he loves to attack the basket while also being a threat from beyond the arc. Warren and LeVert are both three-level scorers who make a killing in the mid-range. Sabonis is the overall leader of the offense who terrorizes defenders in the post and into the elbow.

To take it step by step, we can slowly start to eliminate these options if we truly want to guess who will finish the season as the team’s top scorer. As good as Brogdon is, he will probably be sharing the ball a bit more this season with Warren and LeVert both entering the year healthy and needing their own touches.

Malcolm was very reliable when he was on the floor last season but soft tissue injuries seem to slow him down as the season progresses. He will still be a crucial component of the offense but I do not expect him to be THE guy.

Next is Sabonis, the big man who can score at will from the inside but lacks a consistent perimeter jumper. If he had that in his repertoire then he would be the easy choice. However, not posing a real threat from deep makes it tough to dominate the scoring landscape in today’s NBA unless you are a freak athlete, which Sabonis also fails to qualify for.

That leaves two guys who will handle the ball but missed a lot of time last season: T.J. Warren and Caris LeVert. If I had to pick one right now to be the most efficient scoring threat on the Indiana Pacers, I am going to have to choose T.J. Warren.

I love Caris LeVert and think he will be an important scorer next season but his struggles as a shooter make me hesitate just enough to give the nod to Warren. LeVert took over down the final stretch last season so there is no reason to believe he will not be successful again in 2021-22 but Warren is a more polished scorer.

T.J. Warren is entering the final year of his contract after playing in just four games for the Indiana Pacers a season ago. He will be hungry to prove himself and stay on the floor as he searches for a huge contract next summer. In order to get that deal, he will need to show that he can be a go-to scoring option and a leader on the offensive end. Can he carry the Pacers to the playoffs?

Indiana is going to be a fun team to watch this season as long as things go according to plan. The offense is loaded with talent which is a good sign after the Pacers set a franchise record for points per game in 2020-21.