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3 Areas the Pacers must address this season to get back on track

By Elie Deglaoui

Nov 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) celebrates after making a three point shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Nov 4, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Indiana Pacers center Myles Turner (33) celebrates after making a three point shot against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
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The Indiana Pacers' 2024-25 season is off to an interesting start. They are 3-4 through the first two weeks and have generally not played great basketball. However, two of their wins came against the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks, the two teams from last season's NBA Finals.

While there is a lot to like about the Pacers so far, the season has not started the way fans were hoping it would. The season is still young, and the Pacers have plenty of time to turn things around and re-establish themselves as championship contenders. However, there is no denying that there is still a lot of work that needs to happen in Indiana.

Here are three areas the Pacers must improve during the 2024-25 season.

1. Wing defense

One of the Pacers' most overlooked flaws is their lack of wing defense. For multiple seasons, the Pacers have struggled with defending teams that are wing-heavy, especially if those wings are ball-dominant on their own. This includes teams like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, and Orlando Magic.

Indiana's best wing defender is Aaron Nesmith. While he is solid, he is far from a lockdown defender. He brings great energy, but he struggles against bigger wings and forwards. Furthermore, he is currently sidelined due to an ankle injury with no concrete timeline for his return.

If the Pacers want to get serious about competing for a title, this is arguably their most important need that must be addressed this season.

2. Center depth

To be fair to the Pacers, they had a solid thing going for them heading into the season. They moved on from Jalen Smith, who signed with the Chicago Bulls. However, they signed James Wiseman to a minimum contract and gave Isaiah Jackson a larger role. In theory, this was a good idea for Indiana.

Wiseman, though he has underwhelmed since the Golden State Warriors drafted him second overall in 2020, offers a lot of athleticism, rebounding, and general potential to the team. As for Jackson, he looked good coming into this season and was primed for a breakout campaign. Unfortunately, both big men suffered season-ending Achilles injuries, leaving Myles Turner as the Pacers' only healthy center.

Adding another center is a no-brainer for the Pacers. There are plenty of intriguing options, so it will be interesting to see how the front office plays this. In the meantime, the Pacers have players like Pascal Siakam, Obi Toppin, and rookie Enrique Freeman who can play small-ball center. However, this is not sustainable for the whole season, especially since Turner has already dealt with an injury this season.

3. Rebounding

The Pacers' lack of rebounding goes hand in hand with their lack of center depth, but it is not exclusive. So far, the Pacers are averaging 41.1 rebounds per game, which is tied with the Atlanta Hawks for the eighth-worst mark in the league. The Pacers have been a bad rebounding team for many seasons, yet it remains unaddressed.

Currently, Siakam leads the team in rebounding, averaging seven per game. Turner, the team's starting center, is averaging 6.7. The Pacers do not need prime Bill Russell on the roster, but their lack of rebounding will hurt them in the long run, and it is something they need to improve by the end of the season.

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