In our game recap of the Indiana Pacers' loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, we highlighted one of the primary remaining questions about this Pacers roster: the bench unit and its inability to be even average through the preseason.
This situation is exacerbated by the fact that long-term cornerstones of the Pacers' reserves have either not played or have been terrible.
Obi Toppin has been truly disappointing, falling from what he was just a few seasons ago as a hustle player and fast-break finisher. His defensive and rebounding struggles are now too much to overlook, and it feels like it keeps getting worse, with Toppin slowly waiting for an extension the Pacers shouldn't give him.
TJ McConnell has missed all of preseason with an unannounced injury. Many fans have theorized that this is simply a procedural announcement in order to keep McConnell ready for the regular season when the games actually matter but depending on a 34-year-old who is undersized on a good day also feels like it is destined to bite the Pacers.
Worst of all, the Pacers now have six starters (yes, only five of them can start) and a fit issue with the three of those six who will need to rotate in and out.
This is how a team that should be celebrating all of the good that has happened to them in preseason gets pulled down to the doldrums of losing three straight preseason games by a combined total of five points.
Help is not coming
Suffice it to say that the Pacers are on the verge of re-entering contention and are being held back only by the roster issues from their seventh to their 15th man.
It does not feel like there will be a trade to save this bench unit. Maybe it is a breakout performance from Jarace Walker that makes this second lineup look better than it is. Maybe it is instead an amalgam of parts, offering only the hot hand consistent minutes and creating a true meritocracy of basketball.
However, it does feel like this team needs new blood. TJ McConnell is too old to be useful for much longer. Obi Toppin is about to get expensive when he likely doesn't deserve to be. These are not players that should be kept around.
The issue with that is that Indiana does need bench pieces this season that can play, and in trading McConnell or Toppin, they may miss out on having that. Selling an entire year in pursuit of future success is often the right move, but it's hard to pull off.
Building a basketball team is a hard thing to do right, and the Pacers have done so. Every single championship team has had to find the answers to solving their biggest flaws, either through changing the team or changing their approach.
It's time for Indiana to do the same.
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