The Indiana Pacers have been undergone the biggest in-season transformation in the NBA this year. On the heels of a failed campaign, the Blue and Gold veered away from their established All-Star in Domantas Sabonis and shifted their focus on ramping up the youth movement in Indy.
With Tyrese Haliburton at the core of their metanoia, the Pacers suddenly became one of the teams with a better framework for the future. However, an element of the past core cannot simply be overlooked in how the franchise will operate moving forward. Enter Malcolm Brogdon.
The Indiana Pacers view Malcolm Brogdon as a cornerstone, despite the youth movement
Despite the overarching theme of youth-centric dynamics in the roster, fans should be reminded that this is the Indiana Pacers we are talking about. While this losing season is an almost automatic prompt for the team to bottom out and yield assets along the way, this campaign is an utmost outlier. Bank on the Pacers to resume actively chasing wins as soon as the following season kicks off.
All of these encapsulated is Malcolm Brogdon, in a nutshell. While fans may not be too keen having him as a prominent piece for the Pacers due to his extensive injury history, he is certainly viewed as a centerpiece by the franchise. Already the inarguable head of the snake for the team on and off the court, even Haliburton’s rise as a potential franchise player cannot discount his value for the team, or at least, the perceived value.
Since coming back from a lengthy absence, Brogdon has led the Pacers in scoring in half of his appearances, looking even more aggressive than early in the season. While it cannibalizes into Haliburton’s usage and thus, shot attempts, if the recent games are any indication, it’s that the coaching staff deems this dynamic to be by design.
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Perhaps this could be the result of Brogdon sliding over to the shooting guard position. While he still handles the rock the most on the roster, this could be more of an impetus for Haliburton to demand possessions and assert his role as a catalyst. With the Pacers in need of a more definitive scorer to complement Haliburton’s playmaking, Brogdon’s shot attempts cannot be qualified as an overbearance.
It must also be noted that everyone is still adjusting to their roles. Roles should be more clearly defined as the Pacers enter into the last stretch of the season.
Ultimately, the Indiana Pacers still clearly view Malcolm Brogdon as a major piece of the puzzle. I’m personally interested in how their current backcourt configuration works out with more time and experience, though fans may deem it as an obstacle to a full-blown march toward the future.