The NBA season is finally on the horizon, and you know what that means: Another year of Indiana Pacers basketball. This year will be much different from the past, however, as, unlike the previous few years, the Pacers actually have some expectations going into the season.
This is drastically different from the past three or so years. Following the 2020 playoffs in The Bubble, where Indiana got swept by the Miami Heat, their expectations started to dwindle in the coming season and became more or less nonexistent following that.
2 Indiana Pacers players on breakout watch, 1 on flop watch
This year, however, with a new and improved roster with additions such as Obi Toppin and Bruce Brown, and rookies Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard, along with the inevitable improvements of Tyrese Haliburton and Bennedict Mathurin, Indiana Pacers fans finally have something to be excited for in the coming months.
With the season on the horizon, it is about time for fans to gauge their expectations of the players on their team, and Indiana Pacers fans are no different.
With this team being so deep and having the ability to run a 12-man rotation if needed, there are going to be a lot of guys that have to show up and show out to get a permanent roster spot, especially the youngsters.
All that being said, there are plenty of players that I think are poised for a big season or that need to prove their worth to the front office to keep their spot. This was hard to keep at just three players, but let’s get into it.
1. Bennedict Mathurin
Let’s start off on a positive note.
Coming into the league with relatively high expectations that were bolstered by some comments he made about LeBron James that immediately endeared him to Indiana Pacers fans, Bennedict Mathurin impressed enough in his rookie season to make the All-Rookie First Team and convince Pacers fans that they could have a new dynamic duo on their hands with Mathurin and Haliburton.
As the season went on, however, Mathurin’s weaknesses started to become more evident, as he struggled with efficiency, playmaking, and ball control, leaving him prone to ill-advised turnovers and shots when the smarter option may be to give up the ball to a teammate. It was pretty clear what Mathurin needed to work on in the offseason.
And work on it he did, as in the preseason, Mathurin showed a more refined and mature playstyle.
Now taking smarter shots and being far more willing to make the extra pass than before, Mathurin basically transformed his game over a single summer, and Pacers fans are very excited for what the future holds.
It is not just his playmaking and passing that has improved, however, as Mathurin has become a far more capable defender on and off the ball, putting him on track to be one of the NBA’s brightest two-way stars.
Another thing that should help Mathurin this upcoming season is his new role. During his rookie season, Rick Carlisle would, sometimes ill-advisedly, have Mathurin come off the bench for most of the season, despite his obvious starter-level play.
This year, however, Mathurin has been named the full-time starting small forward on the wings alongside Bruce Brown, which should help his play improve tremendously, given more time on the court with Tyrese Haliburton to let the dynamic duo work their magic.
As we know, many second-year players hit the dreaded “sophomore slump,” and Mathurin is looking to avoid that in any way possible. By the looks of it, he is succeeding. Indiana is expecting big things from the 21-year-old out of Montreal.
2. Obi Toppin
Sticking to optimism here, Obi Toppin has been a player worth getting excited about thus far. Following three seasons in New York, where he alternated between flashes of future star potential and wallowing on the bench, Indiana took a chance on the 25-year-old and traded two future second-round picks for the power forward out of Dayton.
In New York, Toppin had games where he scored over 30 points and made over four three-pointers and also had games where he did not play. You can call this necessity, or you can call it stupidity.
The bottom line is that Obi Toppin is a very talented player and has the tools to be a star-level guy if he puts his abilities to use. Luckily for him, he has the perfect chance to do that in Indiana.
It seems that the front office is behind him, with Rick Carlisle crowning him the starting power forward from Day 1, and the preseason brought some mouthwatering highlight plays to the table. Most notably, Toppin busted out one of his signature Eastbay dunks on the fast break against Cleveland, a play that had the Indiana Pacers all over national media, a rarity, to say the least.
https://twitter.com/BleacherReport/status/1715513303462559822
Flashy highlights aside, Toppin has shown plenty to get excited about in the preseason. From the dunks to the offensive game to even the improved defense, it seems as if Toppin has drastically improved his game in anticipation of a career rejuvenation in Indiana. Toppin’s name has also been a popular pick to throw in Most Improved Player talks, as, given that he will be getting starter minutes going forward, there is no reason why a player of his talent level cannot have a breakout season at his age. Toppin certainly has the talent for it, and now he will be getting the opportunities he has longed for. The real question is, can he put it all together? We will see this upcoming season.
3. Isaiah Jackson
Cutting away from the optimism here, Isaiah Jackson is a player whose future is uncertain at the moment. Coming to Indiana through a multi-team trade on draft night, Jackson was already a questionable pick at 22, not due to his talent in any way, but due to his position.
Listed as a power forward/center, many were questioning why Indiana would take a big man when they already had a logjam in the frontcourt with the Myles Turner/Domantas Sabonis experiment still going on.
Following the Sabonis trade, Jackson’s production drastically improved in the second half of the season, with his points average going from five to 11 and his minute per game going from nine to 21. This promise was enough for Pacers fans to believe in Jackson as the backup center for the future and perhaps a future starter if Myles Turner were to leave.
One year can make a big difference, however, as not only is Turner most likely not going anywhere anytime soon, but Jalen Smith has emerged as the clear-cut backup center following the preseason, something that fans were not expecting considering his relatively disappointing play in the 2022-23 season.
With Smith being the more-than-likely option for backup center and Daniel Theis still being on the team, this leaves Jackson in an odd situation. At only 22 years old, it would be a bit premature to give up on the big man this early, especially when he has shown some promise in his two years in the league.
However, this is one of the consequences of having a team as deep as the Pacers do. When you have so many talented guys that need minutes, some of them are going to have to go, and for Indiana, it may have to be Jackson.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the Indiana Pacers should look to trade him as soon as possible and not weigh out their options, but it is to say that if Jackson does not distinguish himself from every young player in the league this upcoming season and really stand out from the pack and give Indiana a reason to keep him, it may be time to explore the market.
A big man as young and talented as he is and with as much upside as he has is hard to come by in today’s NBA, and Jackson possesses the defense and raw athleticism that a team like Memphis would love to have.
Maybe it isn’t time to trade Jackson just yet. The best option would be to let him prove himself and show why he deserves to be a part of this team going forward. However, this is most certainly a make-or-break season for number 22, at least when it comes to his future in Indiana.