Recent Draymond Green fiasco highlights the Pacers’ need for stability

While the Indiana Pacers have started to show encouraging signs as a young rebuilding team, the rest of the league was caught in a whirlwind just recently, as the Golden State Warriors are off to a terrible start after a potentially game-changing hitch surfaced as they begin their title defense season.

Draymond Green‘s outrage at the detriment of the defending champs, especially rising star and franchise cornerstone Jordan Poole broke most, if not all news outlets in the last couple of days. To make matters even worse, TMZ caught wind of a leaked video of the incident, exacerbating an already messy situation for the Dubs.

The Pacers are not affected by the fiasco in any logical capacity, but this situation may just be the right motif to accentuate the team’s need for more stability as the franchise seeks to usher in a new era of Indiana basketball.

Recent Draymond Green fiasco highlights the Indiana Pacers’ need for a culture of stability

The most successful teams in the league have always had a solid culture or a “rock” to bank on to inject a strong sense of stability, no matter what the direction is. It’s why despite the mostly negative reactions to Draymond Green’s perplexing actions, the Warriors should be given the benefit of doubt as they aim to mend the issue ahead of the season. The reason why? Look no further than Steph Curry, the main man for the Dubs.

The Indiana Pacers are nowhere near the competitive caliber and the stability of culture that the Warriors possess. The former may not be actively looking to win titles yet, but for the franchise to move forward, someone who can steer the wheel for the team in both the ups and downs will be crucial in team-building.

Right now, Myles Turner is the longest-tenured player on the team and it’s not particularly close. He is definitely capable of taking the mantle as the spiritual leader of the Pacers, but his sensitive contract situation makes it tough to lean on him as the lone steady post for the franchise moving forward in a leadership capacity.

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That prompts a shift to the new faces in Indiana to potentially assume that role. Tyrese Haliburton has already shown a very good promise not only as an on-court general, but also as an off-court anchor. As things currently stand, the franchise should be pretty comfortable having him spearhead moving forward.

Take the Memphis Grizzlies, for example. A few seasons ago, they bannered a young roster and a mix of relatively unknown prospects. Just a couple of years later, that very foundation set the stage for an organically grown team that should be poised to compete for the championship for years to come. With Ja Morant leading the way, the franchise has a young anchor who sets the tone for their solid culture.

In a very competitive league like the NBA, the importance of team culture often gets overlooked. But along the way, the competitive juices of players naturally ooze out, and while not always warranted, things can get shaky in a flash, underscoring the need for teams, especially rebuilding ones like the Pacers, to invest in fostering stability to avoid the dangerous make-or-break calls.