Indiana Pacers: 3 biggest takeaways from home win over the Philadelphia 76ers

The Indiana Pacers bench, at their best, is truly among the most impactful in the league

After a slow and painful start to the season, the Indiana Pacers’ second unit has been bringing the goods as of late. This was even more lucid against Philadelphia, where the bench finished the game with a combined 48 points opposite to the Sixers’ 21.

With Justin Holiday leading the way with his unconscious shooting, the Pacers got off to a rousing start in the first half. When he is hitting his triples, the bench unit’s production tremendously elevates, since many of the second unit’s actions on offense are hinged on his movement off the ball and his synergy with the team’s playmakers.

TJ McConnell, meanwhile, continued to show why his contract extension was well-deserved. While he was silent scoring the ball for the most part, his late 6-0 run all but ensured that the Pacers garner the victory. At end point, the sneaky floor general finished with a near double-double of eight points and nine assists.

Still, perhaps the most surprising spark off the bench against Philly was Kelan Martin. Beginning the season sidelined with an injury, the third-year player has been a welcome injection of fresh blood in the second unit, ending the contest with 13 points in 25 minutes while playing good defense against the Sixers’ plethora of scoring wings.

It certainly won’t be every night that the Indiana Pacers bench scores 48, but if the second unit keeps this level of production up, even amidst more modest numbers, then the team will be well-positioned to absorb some inevitable bruises here and there while having a nightly x-factor that can emerge as one of their edges this year.