Oshae Brissett created a ton of storylines in his debut season with the Indiana Pacers in 2020-21. He joined the team when things hit rock bottom and injected them with a lot of life and energy off the bench. In order for the Pacers to get back on track in 2021-22, they need to fully trust Brissett to keep up his strong play and unleash him in the second unit.
Playing time was a bit more forced given the injury situation last season but that blessed the Pacers with Brissett grabbing the job and running with it. He showed his value as a 3-and-D wing that can fill in at the four if he needs to while also being the energetic spark they needed.
Oshae Brissett is the key piece for the Indiana Pacers bench
Indiana turned to Brissett at the end of last season and was blown away with the result. He started 16 games in 21 appearances on his way to 10.9 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.9 combined steals and blocks. Brissett filled in on the defensive end when nobody else could and that helped earn him a three-year deal.
With the busy offseason that has seen Doug McDermott leave and the Pacers draft a potential replacement in Chris Duarte, Brissett has been lost in the mix a bit. However, if the Pacers have any plans of competing this season, they have to trust Brissett in the second unit.
Oshae was on a tear last season as he racked up five double-doubles and finished off the regular season with a 31-point performance against the Raptors. As a starter, Brissett put up some absurd numbers for a guy that was new to the squad. In those 16 starts, he averaged 13.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.3 steals + blocks.
T.J. Warren is set to return which will inevitably push Brissett back to the bench but that should be the end of his slide. Indiana needs to utilize him as the bench’s leader. T.J. McConnell is the unheralded leader of that group as the point guard but Brissett is the most versatile player in that group right now.
Pairing Brissett with first-round selection Chris Duarte in the second unit could do wonders for the Pacers this season. The two are both very skilled on both ends and would immediately clean up the defensive struggles they faced a season ago. Adding Isaiah Jackson or Goga Bitadze to that tandem is an exciting glimpse of Indiana’s second unit defense.
Even after as strong of a season as Brissett had, he seems to have been forgotten a bit already. Indiana has a very talented starting five and added two exciting role players in the draft. The unfortunate injury for Edmond Sumner this summer opened an extra door for Brissett to get his playing time which is good news for the Pacers.
As fun as Sumner is and his circulating fandom in Indiana, Brissett is just as capable of making an impact this season. Having both of them would eventually lead to rotational questions because the Pacers have so much depth and not that much playing time to go around. The starters are going to see a lot of action this season but the bench is still crucial.
Brissett proved that he can be a reliable weapon on both ends. He connected on 42.3 percent of his three-point attempts with the Pacers last season on 3.7 attempts per game. He has the confidence to be a game-changer off the bench if they give him a chance.
Replacing Doug McDermott is not going to be easy but Indiana has plenty of options at its disposal. Brissett brings high energy to the bench and on both ends of the floor, boding well for his future under Rick Carlisle.