Indiana Pacers: 5 storylines to watch for in training camp

How will coach Rick Carlisle unleash Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis?

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Indiana Pacers continued to hold the leash on the Myles Turner and Domantas Sabonis predicament. With a new coach now in the fold, the front office hoped that maybe third time’s the charm and coach Rick Carlisle can take their talented big men to new heights, instead of simply giving up on their outdated, yet intriguing, experiment.

Like his two predecessors, Carlisle has echoed on staggering both big men to maximize their strengths. However, as both are still projected to start, will the championship coach introduce a new script and alter their playstyles, or stick with last year’s design which spawned a relatively high-octane offense at times?

Two-time All-Star Sabonis is a throwback big that the veteran coach is not used to having. He’s far from the space-bending big men he had under his tutelage before in Dirk Nowitzki and Kristaps Porzingis. Instead, he’s a do-it-all center who excels in almost all facets of the game as a scorer and facilitator, except in rim defense and three-point shooting.

On the other hand, Turner is a 3-and-D center whose offensive profile has been shaky in recent seasons. He’s a phenomenal defensive anchor, but his physical gifts and his minimal role on offense are far from an ideal analogy. Will he be a rich man’s Maxi Kleber or will the coaching staff unlock new dimensions of his game? The training camp will give us a glimpse of what’s to come.