What each Indiana Pacer will need to prove during All-Star weekend

The Pacers will be featured prominently during All-Star weekend, with players from the franchise to be featured in nearly every event of the weekend.

This coming from a franchise that was supposed to be on the bottom end of the league with little future prospect, the franchise now finds itself with prominent talent in nearly every element of the game.

Need an elite playmaker? We have one.

Need elite shooting? Got that too.

Need elite driving ability at the basket? Ditto.

How about elite defense near the rim? We have one of the best.

Because of this, it is smart of the league to feature the up-and-coming Pacers so prominently across the weekend event, as it is looking like they have a chance to be a featured team in years to come. Another addition to the roster was announced this week, when it came out that Buddy Hield will be participating in the three-point contest.

This makes players in the All-Star game (presumably with Haliburton), in the rising stars challenge (with Mathurin and Nembhard) and with Hield (in the three point contest).

So what do each of these players need to prove as they are competing league-wide at the NBA’s premiere showcasing event?

Hield will have a chance to prove he is an all-time great shooter.

In the grand scheme of the NBA, there have been many players that are great shooters. But in today’s NBA, we are seeing some of the best shooters in NBA history. Names like Steph Curry and Damien Lillard immediately come to mind. But Buddy Hield often doesn’t get the respect he deserves in this category. He’s off to a lightning fast start this season:

22-23 stats: 17 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 45% FG, 43% FG3

Career stats: 16 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 43% FG, 40% FG3

And as for total 3 point field goals, he is leading the league this year. But not just by a few. He has made nearly 20 more 3 point field goals than second in the league Steph Curry, at a better percentage this season than Curry. Not only is he making significantly more than the greatest shooter of all time, he’s make them at a higher rate.

Facing off against the best shooters in the league, Hield will participate in the league’s signature sharpshooting event (an event he has already won). He will look to further his legacy of amazing shooting talent.

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.

An overlooked leader and future superstar will shine on the biggest stage

Haliburton wasn’t heavily recruited to colleges. He was passed over by many NBA franchises in the NBA draft (many of which would take that decision back in a heartbeat). He was traded away by the franchise that drafted him.

And he landed in Indiana as the future. End of sentence.

Haliburton is everything we’ve wanted as Pacers fans for a long time. A humble midwestern kid that looks to take the reigns of the franchise and return it to it’s former glory. And Haliburton is killing it this season with the following stat line:

22-23 stats: 20 points, 4 rebounds, 10 assists, 48% FG, 40% FG3

Do you realize how amazing that stat line is?

And while he got snubbed as a starter, he will certainly be announced as an All-Star for the upcoming game in Utah. This will give him the perfect platform to prove to many colleges, NBA franchises, and even the Kings, that the young point guard is the next big thing in the NBA.