The Indiana Pacers, who were in the Eastern Conference Finals earlier this year, are looking like one of the worst teams in the NBA at the moment. Through the first week of the 2024-25 season, the Pacers are 1-3, having dropped each of the last three games.
They are currently one of the worst three-point shooting teams, one of the worst rebounding teams, and though it has technically improved so far (though not by much), they remain one of the worst defensive teams in the league as well.
The Pacers remain one of the most talented and exciting teams in the league and should bounce back soon enough. However, it is difficult to find any silver linings with how badly they have started the new campaign. Furthermore, though there is a lot of bad basketball being played in Indiana right now, there is one specific area that needs to be fixed and has been a problem for years.
The Pacers desperately need wing defense
The Pacers are a bad defensive team. There are no doubts about that. However, what makes the Pacers an interesting team is that they have good defensive players on the roster. Myles Turner is a two-time blocks champion, Pascal Siakam is a versatile defender, and Aaron Nesmith provides a lot of energy on the perimeter. However, their glaring flaw is their lack of wing defense.
For the past couple of seasons, the Pacers have had a hard time guarding against wings and ball-dominant players with size. This was most evident during Monday night's loss to the Orlando Magic. In the loss, the Pacers allowed Paolo Banchero to score 50 points on 16-for-26 shooting, including a 3-for-9 mark from the three-point line.
Furthermore, last season, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo dropped 64 and 54 points in two separate games against the Pacers. The Pacers also had a difficult time guarding Boston Celtics star Jaylen Brown in the Eastern Conference Finals last season, allowing him to average 29.8 points in four games while shooting 51.7% from the field and earning Eastern Conference Finals MVP honors.
The Pacers have a lot of problems to fix this season if they right the ship before it is too late. However, their biggest need is evident. While Nesmith is solid in his role, he has a hard time guarding bigger players. Furthermore, players like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker have not established themselves as legitimate options to solve this problem for Indiana.
It is unknown exactly what the Pacers plan on doing to fix this, whether they are hoping for natural development or will seek a trade. Nonetheless, the Pacers have a lot of work to do in this area if they want to compete with teams like the Celtics, New York Knicks, and Philadelphia 76ers.