What each Indiana Pacer will need to prove during All-Star weekend
By Joe Lyon
The Pacers will look to show the league they won the draft…by a mile.
The Pacers have two rookies in the Rising Stars challenge which is abnormal to say the least. And beyond that, one of the two is a second round pick (the only one chosen for the event).
Because of this, the Pacers have a chance to show that their two rookies are the best in class and that the Pacers won the 2022 NBA draft by getting the first (or second best player) in the draft much lower as well as a player that should have gone in the lottery in the second round. The Pacers have had some big misses in recent drafts (cough TJ Leaf cough), but it appears that they knocked it out of the park this year.
On top of this, Mathurin will look to prove that he is the best player of his draft class, having the opportunity to show it on the floor against Banchero. To date, Banchero has had the better season. But as Mathurin said about LeBron this past summer, Banchero will have to prove it to Mathurin on the court.