The Pacers have finally figured out what draft position they will have, and unfortunately, that means they will not be able to draft the generational prospect Victor Wembanyama. And while many fans were disappointed in the loss, it turns out, luck may have been on our side after all.
While San Antonio was the biggest winner of the night moving up multiple spots to be able to draft Victor Wembanyama at number one overall, and Detroit was clearly the night’s loser dropping four spots, the Pacers had one thing really break their way.
Namely, the Rockets didn’t end up above the Spurs in the draft order. Had that happened, the Pacers would have dropped substantially in the second round from 32 (which is nearly another first-round pick) to 50 (a fairly meaningless pick in the overall draft). The value jump there is not to be overlooked by Pacers fans who consider the draft capital that we have this summer.
If the Pacers weren’t going to get the number one pick, the Spurs were probably their second choice for a couple reasons. The biggest of which being the second-round pick jump.
With the Spurs getting the No. 1 pick, the Rockets’ pick at 32 belongs to the Pacers.
— Scott Agness (@ScottAgness) May 17, 2023
Otherwise, it would’ve been pick 50 (via Heat).
So the Pacers own five picks in the upcoming draft:
7, 26, 29, 32, 55.
In total, this gives the Pacers four of the top 32 picks overall, although none of them are blue-chip level picks which would have been in the top three draft positions.
Pacers fans should be cautiously optimistic about the next couple of weeks.
If Pritchard is doing his job, he is looking for ways to turn some of this excess draft capital into another franchise cornerstone. And since we probably aren’t going to draft one at seven, it may have to happen via trade that the Pacers move this draft capital for a blue-chip level of player.
However, if we go another offseason just drafting average players that aren’t going to be able to anchor this team moving forward, it’s worth wondering how much longer that KP will be running things, as Herb Simon is known for wanting to compete every year.