Following a couple of big trades, the Indiana Pacers suddenly have a revamped roster. The trade deadline is not yet over, but even if the team remains static in the following hours, head coach Rick Carlisle should have a bevy of new lineups to toy with as they approach the latter part of the season.
Former stalwarts Domantas Sabonis, Justin Holiday, Caris LeVert, and Jeremy Lamb now don new jerseys, while Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Tristan Thompson, and the spirit of Ricky Rubio are the fresh additions to Indiana’s lineup.
Alongside key holdovers, the Pacers will have a cleaner slate this time around, particularly with rotations. Coach Carlisle likes to keep his rotations intact, but injuries (and now, roster changes) have simply made that impossible so far.
What could be the Indiana Pacers’ rotation following recent big trades?
On the interim, the Indiana Pacers remain with a shorthanded lineup, with Malcolm Brogdon, Myles Turner, TJ Warren, and TJ McConnell still sidelined without a clear timetable to return. That means that the coaching staff will most likely feature their new guns prominently in the rotation next to their season-long staples.
- SF: Chris Duarte / Lance Stephenson
- PF: Torrey Craig / Oshae Brissett / Terry Taylor
- C : Goga Bitadze / Isaiah Jackson / Tristan Thompson
- SG: Buddy Hield / Duane Washington Jr.
- PG: Tyrese Haliburton / Keifer Sykes
This could be the chance for the Pacers to see what Haliburton can do as the lone playmaker in the starting five, something he has not been able to do in Sacramento with De’Aaron Fox as the main option in the backcourt. Meanwhile, Buddy Hield and Chris Duarte round out the opening group as the starting wings who should provide plenty of ammo on the perimeter.
When healthy, however, Rick Carlisle will have a lot of decisions to make. But considering normal minutes, do not be surprised if he continues to give heavy minutes to the veteran holdovers. Ideally, this should be the rotation (excluding Rubio who is surely out for the year):
- SF: Chris Duarte / TJ Warren / Lance Stephenson
- PF: Isaiah Jackson / Torrey Craig / Oshae Brissett / Terry Taylor
- C : Myles Turner / Goga Bitadze / Tristan Thompson
- SG: Malcolm Brogdon / Buddy Hield / Duane Washington Jr.
- PG: Tyrese Haliburton / TJ McConnell / Keifer Sykes
Coach Carlisle has already expressed interest in playing Haliburton and Brogdon together, which could be helpful for both players since the former will have less pressure as a sole creator with the latter, who should also thrive as a shooting guard. Meanwhile, the pairing of Turner and Jackson makes sense on both ends, giving the Pacers a lot of defensive versatility while they make use of the rookie’s abilities as a vertical spacer and rim runner.
If TJ Warren indeed returns at some point this season, he will most likely have a more limited role off the bench, at least until he acclimates to the court. There’s an argument for him to be shoehorned as a starting 4, but that is gambling on his ability to defend bulkier opponents, a high-risk, low-reward proposition.
Also, it still makes more sense for Duarte to remain in the starting unit. While the coaching staff has preferred giving out the starting 3 role to a defensive-minded wing whenever available, starting Craig or Brissett abates the offense. On the other hand, Hield is too small to cover opposing small forwards, especially with him not being much of a defender.
Duarte is far from perfect and tends to make rookie mistakes, but he covers a lot of ground on the perimeter with his agility. His weaknesses against bigger players could be mitigated with Jackson and Turner behind him. Alas, Brogdon could even take on the bigger wings in his stead, a role he has played for much of his career.
Whichever way the coaching staff go, the Indiana Pacers should enjoy a more unpredictable attack on both ends with their fresh additions. Changes could still be made as of speaking, but what was a stale season could now turn into something hopeful.