5 Indiana Pacers players who definitely shouldn’t be back next year
By Joe Lyon
3. A veteran that no longer fits the plan in James Johnson
The Pacers are a young team and young teams need vets. James Johnson was brought onto the team to sit the bench and be a mentor to many of the younger players on the team. Johnson has been in the NBA for a long time and has a lot of experience that he can share with the young up and coming stars in Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin.
Unfortunately, next season the Pacers are going to have other vets such as TJ McConnell that won’t need playing time either. Because McConnell has more time in Indy as well as has more to contribute on the court, he may be the wiser vet to keep for next season.
This is assuming that the Pacers need to use and sign multiple of their draft picks for next season. This would mean the Pacers would need multiple roster spots and Johnson would be one of the first to go.