The Indiana Pacers are coming off of the 2023 NBA draft and so you might be wondering what the roster now looks like and what the rotation will be after the draft. In the following, we have only included the new first-round draft picks until we have a better idea of who will be on two-way contracts or might be playing in the G League from the second round.
Jarace Walker you are an Indiana Pacer pic.twitter.com/OAHvs2pzdh
— AKRiley (@AKRileyy5) June 23, 2023
Backcourt
The guard position is where the Pacers have too many players and will likely need to shed some players throughout the rest of the offseason. Currently here is what the guard rotation will likely look like:
Starting Backcourt: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, and Bennedict Mathurin
There is a lot of scoring in this backcourt, but will be a bit small in places. Bennedict Mathurin would be playing the three-guard spot in this projection when he probably fits in a bit better as a two. However, Buddy’s shooting is too hard to pass up as a starter.
Reserve Backcourt: Andrew Nembhard, TJ McConnell, Chris Duarte, Ben Sheppard
Quite a bit of talent here, with Nembhard likely good enough to be a starter in the coming years. Look to TJ McConnell as the candidate to be cut or moved in the future as well as Duarte becoming a prime trade candidate given the addition of Ben Sheppard.
Frontcourt
The frontcourt is still a bit thin at the moment for the Pacers and will need to be beefed up through free agency and trades.
Starting frontcourt: Jarace Walker, Myles Turner
This is a dynamic and defensive minded frontcourt that will be formidable.
Reserve frontcourt: Jordan Nwora, Aaron Nesmith, Jalen Smith, Isaiah Jackson, Daniel Theis
This is probably the weakest part of the roster and where the Pacers could stand to improve quite a bit. We will see how this roster plays out and what changes are coming in the next few weeks!
Indiana Pacers Post-Draft Grades: The Good, The Bad, and the Guards
The 2023 NBA Draft has just finished, and the Indiana Pacers have some new prospects on their hands! Let's take a look at these new additions to the team.