Former President Barack Obama throws wild (but accurate) jab at Pacers

The Indiana Pacers enter the 2024-25 season as one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league (and, according to the anonymous NBA GM survey from this offseason, they rank as the most fun to watch).

Their fast-paced offense mixed with their depth and youth makes them as intriguing to follow as any team in the league. This is true for Pacers fans and fans of the game itself, including former United States President, Barack Obama.

In their first interview after their re-branding following JJ Redick's departure to become the head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, the newly-named The Young Man and the Three featured Obama as their first guest in the new era. Additionally, Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton was featured as the podcast's host for the episode.

The two, alongside Tommy Alter, spoke about many NBA-related topics, including the Olympics, the All-Star game, and some of the best young players in the league. In their discussion, Obama made it clear to Haliburton that he is a fan of the Pacers, but he made sure to remind him that they are not a perfect team.

Barack Obama jokes about the Pacers' lack of defense

Obama spoke about how much he enjoyed the way the Pacers play, comparing them to the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs. However, in doing so, he mentioned one major critique he had about the team that may hit a little too close for Pacers fans.

“I like how the Pacers are playing. …because you guys play with pace," Obama said to Haliburton. "I just like that style of basketball--the beautiful game, and the ball’s popping, nobody's just backing up and dribbling the whole time, and you guys are playing that style of ball. Now, you've got to pick up that defense a little bit.”

In response, Haliburton simply said, "We'll figure it out." Though the Wisconsin native chuckled as he said it, it has been made clear that working on the team's defense is a major priority for Indiana this season.

At this point, it is no secret that the Pacers, while arguably the best team on the offensive side of the ball, suffer many shortcomings defensively. Last season, the Pacers gave up 120.2 points per game, which was the fourth-worst in the league. Additionally, their 118 DRTG was the seventh-worst and by far the worst among all the playoff teams from last season.

While the team does have solid defenders on the team, including Pascal Siakam, who helped improve the team's defense after they acquired him during the season from the Toronto Raptors, they lack legitimate defense as a unit. If they can be even slightly better on defense, especially given what they are capable of on offense, the Pacers will look like a legitimate championship contender immediately.

You can watch the whole interview with Obama, Haliburton, and Alter here: