Earlier this season we did our first mock draft and the picture was a bit rosier then given that the Pacers positioning in the conference is changing. However, an updated look at the eastern conference standings begin to give a clearer picture of the picks that the Pacers might have access to in this years NBA draft.
Eastern conference standings:
- Milwaukee Bucks 51-20
- Philadelphia 76ers 48-22
- Boston Celtics 49-23
- Cleveland Cavaliers 45-28
- New York Knicks 42-30
- Brooklyn Nets 39-32
- Miami Heat 39-34
- Atlanta Hawks 35-36
- Toronto Raptors 35-37
- Chicago Bulls 33-37
- Indiana Pacers 32-37
- Washington Wizards 32-39
- Orlando Magic 29-43
- Charlotte Hornets 22-50
- Detroit Pistons 16-56
Clearly the Pacers aren’t going to be getting anything close to the number one pick, but at one point this season there was optimism that we may be able to draft high in the lottery. Unfortunately, that dream is starting to look less and less likely as the Pacers start to fall into no-mans-land in the middle of the eastern conference.
Because of this the Pacers start to find themselves at risk of not begin able to draft a generational type player as they begin to move towards the back-half of the lottery. Unfortunately, this drastically alters the draft prospects of the Pacers this summer and paints a less desireable picture than our first mock draft.
With the 8th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select…….Gradey Dick, forward from the University of Kansas.
This ultimately would be a disappointing pick, but the Pacers are falling past the place where players such as Brandon Miller, Cam Whitmore, and Jarace Walker will already be off of the board. Gradey isn’t a bad player, but would probably be one of the most disappointing options to come out of the top ten of this draft. Gradey has looked good this season, however, Kansas had a disappointing March this season.
He is averaging 14 points, 5 rebounds, 44% FG, 40% FG3.
He is a good three point shooter for his size and ultimately would be able to stretch out defenses at the next level. I would probably question how aggressive he would be at the NBA level and whether or not he has the bulk to really hold up against big NBA power forwards.
However, the Pacers have put themselves in this situation, and Gradey would likely be the best player on the board at eight, as disappointing as that would be.
With the 26th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select……..Dariq Whitehead, forward from Duke University.
Dariq was a player that came into this year with alot of promise, most of which didn’t come to fruition in his first season with the Blue Devils. However, late in the year he really started to hit his stride and may find himself traveling up draft boards by the time the draft rolls around. This season he averaged: 8 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist on 42% FG and 43% FG3 (the rare player who has a higher 3 point percentage than field goal).
Dariq is able to make tough shots and looks to have a lot of offensive tools in his toolbag, whether or not he is able to really put it together in the NBA is yet to be seen. The Ringer had this to say about the young prospect:
"He makes quick decisions with the ball in his hands. He can seamlessly pass off the dribble, especially when it comes to finding a rolling big. Active mover without the ball. He has the athleticism to catch lobs in the half court or on the break."
With the 28th pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, the Indiana Pacers select……..Marcus Sasser, guard from the University of Houston.
Marcus Sasser doesn’t have the ceiling of some of his counterparts given that he is a senior at Houston. So he has already done some of the developing that the lottery picks promise to potentially still have at their disposal.
However, Sasser has been highly successful on a highly successful team (Houston was a #1 in the NCAA tournament). He is known for hard-nose defense, something that the Pacers continue to need given they seem to have the offensive firepower but lack the defensive intensity. Sasser is likely worth the flier pick to see if he can develop into a useful toolbox player that has some offensive upside as well as deep defensive upside.
Would you be disappointed with these draft picks? Let us know in the comments below.
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