Indiana Pacers basketball is officially back. After eight days of rest and All-Star fun, the Pacers returned to the hardwood on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons to start the second half of the season.
While the Pacers still have a ways to go before the playoffs, a lot can be said of how well this team has performed so far compared to expectations and what their role was to start the season. This Pacers team has seemed to be a whirlwind of emotions so far, from the soaring heights of a 4-1 season series against the Milwaukee Bucks to the lows of a 2-2 series tie with the lowly Charlotte Hornets.
With the Pacers having played their first game in eight days on Thursday against the Detroit Pistons, now is a good time to judge the Pacers' season so far and see how each player is doing, along with the coach, Rick Carlisle.
These players will be judged based on expectations before the season, where those expectations went, their role on the team, and what their current play means for their and the team's future.
Of course, only current Pacers will be evaluated, and they must have played significant minutes this season, with the exception of Jarace Walker (sorry, Doug McDermott). That leaves us with 12 players and one coach to grade, so without further ado, let's get to the players!
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Tyrese Haliburton
Stats: 44 Games, 32 MPG, 21.8 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 11.7 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 2.4 TOV, 1 FPG 49.2/40/85.3 Splits on 62.6% TS
2022-23 Stats: 56 Games, 33.6 MPG, 20.7 PPG, 3.7 RPG, 10.4 APG, 1.6 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 2.5 TOV, 1.2 FPG 49/40/87.1 Splits on 62.4% TS
Starting with a bang, aren't we?
What is there to say about Tyrese Haliburton that hasn't been said yet? After a breakout 2022-23 season where he made his first All-Star team and led Indiana to playoff contention before injury issues more or less sidelined him and those playoff hopes for the rest of the season, Haliburton came back in the 2023-24 season with a chip on his shoulder, eager to prove himself further as a legit alpha dog on a playoff team.
So far, he has done all that and more, with the Pacers sitting at a 31-25 record, currently the sixth seed in the East, with Haliburton leading the show.
From an individual standpoint, Haliburton has improved all facets of his game, from scoring to efficiency (recently tanked due to injury recovery) to even playmaking somehow. After averaging a fantastic 10.4 assists per game the previous year, Haliburton has upped that average to an even more spectacular 11.7 per game, by far and away the league leader, and currently on pace to be the 21st leading assists per game season in NBA history.
In addition to these incredible averages, Haliburton has made his name known in NBA circles as something of a big-time player, stepping up on the big stage in matchups against the Celtics and Bucks, both of whom he led the Pacers to victory against in the In-Season Tournament, which was where a lot of his media publicity came from.
Unfortunately, after a hamstring tear sidelined him for some games in January and limited his minutes in February, Haliburton's minutes and averages dropped, but he is determined to return stronger than ever in the second half of the season and continue the magic he and the Pacers have built together so far en route to a playoff run.
Final Grade: A+ (Improved across the board, has turned into a legit winning player)
Myles Turner
Stats: 53 Games, 27.4 MPG, 17.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.6 SPG, 1.8 BPG, 1.4 TOV, 3.2 FPG 52.4/33.6/78.3 Splits on 62.3% TS
2022-23 Stats: 62 Games, 29.4 MPG, 18 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.4 APG, 0.6 SPG, 2.3 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 3.5 FPG 54.8/37.3/78.3 Splits on 65.1% TS
Myles Turner is an interesting case. After posting a career-best season in 2023, Myles Turner's trajectory was looking up for the future. It also helped that he finally secured his future with the Pacers after years of nonstop trade rumors, inking a two-year extension in January of 2023, which would essentially take him out of trade rumors.
Indeed, the 2024 Trade Deadline was seemingly the first one in years without continuous Myles Turner rumors, as the only speculations on Turner's future came from delusional Lakers fans, as they usually did for every player.
That being said, Myles was expected to build on his successful 2023 campaign, where he posted career-highs in points, rebounds, and efficiency. Did he build on that success? That's debatable. At times this season, Turner has looked like a dark horse All-Star candidate, with Charles Barkley even being his biggest supporter.
Unfortunately, for every 29-point, 12-rebound, 5-block performance where he looks like an All-Star candidate, Turner has a five-point, four-rebound performance where he looks completely out of his league.
Let's get one thing straight. Turner's rather underwhelming block total of 1.8, the lowest since his third year in the league, is not entirely his fault, as Indiana's defense is mostly centered towards the perimeter, which regularly brings Turner out of the paint, giving up easy buckets and leaving less opportunities for blocks in general.
This shows in the on/off stats, as this is the first year Indiana's defensive rating has remained relatively unchanged, with Turner on the floor compared to off the floor. Despite this, Turner has maintained improvement in his offensive game, increasing the Pacers offensive rating by six points whenever he is on the floor, and shooting 61% from two-point range, good for 17th in the league.
If there's one thing we know about Myles Turner, it's that he is not exactly built to be a second option on a playoff team. While he did a fantastic job as that second option before the Pascal Siakam trade, that trade may have put him in the right place as a great third option, or maybe even a fourth if Indiana gets another scoring piece before long.
One thing's for sure, though, Turner looks like a completely different player from just two years ago for the better.
Final Grade: B (Steady progress from last season, will benefit greatly as a third option)
Pascal Siakam
Stats with IND: 16 Games, 33.3 MPG, 21.4 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 4.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.3 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 2.9 FPG 57.1/41.3/62.3 Splits on 62.2% TS
Admittedly, there's not much to go off of here, but there's definitely enough. Don't let the 7-8 record since the trade fool you; Pascal Siakam is everything he was advertised as and much more. The trade for Siakam has the potential to be up there with the Haliburton/Sabonis trade as one of the most talked-about trades in recent memory, and for potentially the same reason.
Since getting traded to Indiana, Siakam has filled the exact role that the Pacers needed: a secondary scorer, tough shot maker, secondary ball handler, and sound defender to help Indiana's bottom line.
Siakam has gotten the scoring part of that down so far, averaging 21.4 points on very solid efficiency and even 41.3% from beyond the arc, a nice surprise considering he only shot 31.7% with Toronto before the trade. Of course, the additional spacing has definitely helped, as has playing with Tyrese Haliburton.
Siakam has also provided excellent injury insurance for Haliburton, as he increases the Pacers offensive rating by 20 points and their net rating by almost 21 points when he is on the floor compared to being off it. Siakam also makes the Pacers a much more efficient team, as their 2-point field goal percentage increases by three points and their three-point percentage increases by a whopping 16 points.
While we haven't seen Haliburton and Siakam on the floor together much, with them only logging 226 minutes together, they have been more than effective in that time. In their short time together, Haliburton and Siakam give the Pacers a positive net rating of 7.41, an offensive rating of 126.36, and much-improved efficiency compared to when they are not on the floor together.
This is a fantastic sign for the rest of the season, as most of those minutes together are hampered by Haliburton's injury still bothering him and Siakam still getting used to the team. With plenty of full practices under their belt and Haliburton reinvigorated after a successful All-Star Weekend, the sky is the limit for what Siakam can do with this team.
Final Grade: A (Very solid in 15 games, trending upward for rest of season)
Aaron Nesmith
Stats: 51 Games, 27.1 MPG, 12.6 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 1 TOV, 3.3 FPG 51.9/45.2/70.2 Splits on 65.1% TS
2022-23 Stats: 73 Games, 24.9 MPG, 10.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 1 TOV, 3.2 FPG 42.7/36.6/83.8 Splits on 56.6% TS
I've been waiting for this one.
The first thing that catches the eye when looking at Aaron Nesmith's season is the dramatic jump in efficiency. Nesmith went from a streaky offensive player whose worst nights were hard to watch to one of the most consistent shooters in the NBA, currently ranking fifth in the league in three-point percentage at 45.2%.
In addition to the shooting improvements, Nesmith has overall been a better offensive player this year, becoming a far more fluid dribbler and increasing his true shooting percentage and two-point percentage by almost ten points.
The defensive side is where things get tricky. By the numbers, Nesmith hasn't exactly been a lights-out defender this year, but there is plenty of context involved. For one, Nesmith spent most of the season before the Siakam trade playing power forward, guarding larger, stronger players despite his 6-foot-5 frame.
As a result, Nesmith found himself to be quite foul-prone, with his 3.3 fouls per game ranking fifth in the league and first among all non-big men. Since the Siakam trade, however, he has been given the chance to revert to his original small forward position and has done fantastic as a result, averaging 15.2 points on 54% from the field and 43.5% from beyond the arc in the 14 games since the trade, not including the game in which he was injured.
Hopefully, his recent injury suffered in the Toronto game doesn't sideline him for long, as his hustle, defense, and shooting ability have been a key part of the Pacers' success this season, and they will certainly need him at 100% for the second half of the season.
Final Grade: A (Improved on all fronts, one of the most important players on the team)
Bennedict Mathurin
Stats: 53 Games, 25.5 MPG, 14.1 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 1.8 FPG 45/36.6/82.5 Splits on 56.1% TS
2022-23 Stats: 78 Games, 28.5 MPG, 16.7 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.9 TOV, 2.1 FPG 43.4/32.3/82.8 Splits on 56.6% TS
From a beacon of consistancy to the exact opposite.
After a very solid rookie season where he made an argument for Rookie of the Year many times during the year, Bennedict Mathurin was expected to improve on that progress in his second year on the team, where he would be projected to have a breakout year as a full-time starter.
So far, that has not happened. In 52 games, Mathurin's game has been marred with inconsistency, as he would trade stretches averaging north of 20 points on good efficiency with stretches averaging less than 10 on bad efficiency. Of course, a lot of this has to do with the type of player that he is. Gunners such as him are bound to have good and bad shooting stretches frequently and not be too consistent, as they have one job and one job only - to score the ball.
However, Mathurin's stretches have been puzzling. Statistically, he is a net negative while on the floor this year and makes the team worse on offense. This is because his bad stretches tend to hurt the team quite a bit, and make him borderline unplayable at times.
For example, the February 12 matchup against Charlotte, where Mathurin scored zero points, and Charlotte won by nine, or the January 19 matchup against Portland, where he scored two points on 0/8 shooting, and they lost by three.
This year, a lot of Mathurin's performances have been more or less linked to the team's success, as in his 10 worst shooting games, the Pacers hold a record of 9-1. Mathurin's status as perhaps the most impactful player on the Pacers shows in the games, as the offense looks far more fluid and alive when he is making his shots compared to when he isn't, in which case the offense looks borderline unwatchable.
Despite these inconsistencies, Mathurin has still shown signs of improvement, as shown by his shooting numbers going up, and his ability to slow down the game will help Indiana wonders as a team that mostly plays fast. Only time will tell how the second half of the season treats him but for now, it's pretty up and down.
Final Grade: C+ (Some improvement, but very inconsistent overall)
Andrew Nembhard
Stats: 43 Games, 22.9 MPG, 9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 4.6 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.1 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 2 FPG 49.2/34.4/78.9 Splits on 55.9% TS
2022-23 Stats: 75 Games, 27.6 MPG, 9.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 4.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 1.7 TOV, 2.4 FPG 44.1/35/79 Splits on 52.8% TS
Similar to Bennedict Mathurin, Andrew Nembhard's season has been marred by inconsistency, except in Nembhard's case, he brings something more than scoring that keeps him in the starting lineup, which would be defense.
Easily Indiana's second-best perimeter defender this season and by far their best guard defender, Nembhard has a clear impact on the Pacers' defensive bottom line whenever he steps on the floor. In the minutes Nembhard spends on the floor, Indiana's defensive rating improves by almost four points. Nembhard's quick feet, active hands, and nose for the ball have comfortably earned him the job of starting shooting guard despite being somewhat undersized for the position.
In addition to defense, Nembhard also brings decent enough playmaking, which has led many to speculate that he would be a starter on any team not named the Pacers. Perhaps this theory has legs to it, as on his best nights, Nembhard does an increasingly more accurate Tyrese Haliburton impersonation except with better defense.
However, on his worst nights, he is quite tough to watch. Prone to sloppy turnovers and awful shooting nights, Nembhard thankfully brings enough to the table to not shoehorn his play into one style and adapt to whatever the Pacers need of him, which is why he fully took over the starting shooting guard spot once Buddy Hield got dealt to Philly.
As a starter, Nembhard has been spectacular. In Indiana's last six games, all six of which he started in, he shot a very solid 55.3% from the field and 43% from deep as Indiana went 4-2 in this stretch. It is very clear at this point that a Haliburton/Nembhard backcourt is the way to go for the Pacers and is most likely the lineup Indiana will take with them into the playoffs.
Nembhard gets a higher grade than Mathurin so far because of the fact that he has something to fall back on when his shot is not falling, something that has helped Indiana win plenty of games as of late.
Final Grade: B (Improves plenty as a starter, may be Indiana's X-Factor in the playoffs)
Obi Toppin
Stats: 57 Games, 22.5 MPG, 10.7 PPG, 3.9 RPG, 1.6 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 0.9 TOV, 1.8 FPG 56.8/40.3/74.7 Splits on 66.8% TS
From relative inconsistency to consistency, Obi Toppin's 2023-24 campaign has been just that. Ever since putting a Pacers uniform on afte, Toppin has by far been Indiana's most consistent scorer despite not putting up insane numbers.
So far this season, Toppin ranks 17th in field goal percentage at 56.8%, first in 2-point percentage with 68.9%, 43rd in three-point percentage at 40.3%, fifth in effective field goal percentage at 65.3%, and seventh in true shooting percentage, at 66.8%. Long story short, Toppin is statistically one of the best at putting the ball in the basket this season.
While Toppin has struggled with other facets of his game this season, namely defense and individual rebounding, he has still had his positive moments on those sides as well. For one, while Toppin may not be a well-suited defender for every offensive player, his defense was key in slowing Jimmy Butler down in the second Indiana/Miami matchup to help the Pacers pick up a win without Tyrese Haliburton.
As for rebounding, while Toppin's 3.9 rebound average may seem underwhelming for a player with his size and athleticism, the Pacers are still a better rebounding team with him on the floor, and that is what matters more in the end. Overall, Toppin has been a bright spot on this team, and despite being in trade rumors near the deadline, he is still a Pacer and will certainly get some run in the playoffs.
Final Grade: B+ (One of the best shooters in the league, improvements all around since New York)
Jalen Smith
Stats: 38 Games, 18.5 MPG, 10.8 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.7 BPG, 0.8 TOV, 2.3 FPG 63.2/48.4/70.3 Splits on 72.7% TS
2022-23 Stats: 68 Games, 18.8 MPG, 9.4 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 1.1 TOV, 2.3 FPG 47.6/28.3/75.9 Splits on 56.5% TS
From one beacon of consistency to another.
Following Jalen Smith's less-than-stellar 2023 season, his status as a Pacer was uncertain. Smith's 2022-23 season was marred by inconsistent play and one of the worst three-point shooting stretches in the league, especially from the corner. Something would have to change, or else Smith saw his spot in the rotation up for grabs.
He would deliver, however, bulking up in the offseason and shedding the 'Stix' name given to him in college. This has so far shown big-time in the 38 games he has played, as the switch from power forward to center has Smith playing far more comfortably, being more used to contact down low and hitting shots inside, somehow being even more efficient than Obi Toppin.
Despite his 38 games not meeting the qualifiers for league leaders, Smith's 72.7% true shooting would far and away lead the league, as would his 21.0 PER and 71.6% from two-point land. Smith was also the league leader in three-point percentage for a long time before too many missed games caught up to him, however, his 48.4% from deep would still lead the league if he qualified.
In addition to the shooting improvements, Smith has improved as a defender, with his newfound muscle helping him tremendously in the paint against offensive players who would have been bigger and stronger.
Unfortunately, due to the Pacers needing to spend money on other ventures in the upcoming offseason, this season may very well be Smith's last in Indiana, but if that is the case, then what a season it has been.
Compared to where he was last season and just in general, Smith has completely transformed his game from being unplayable at times to being one of the best backup bigs in the league.
Final Grade: A (Improvements across the board, shame his Indiana career is probably over soon)
Isaiah Jackson
Stats: 44 Games, 13.7 MPG, 6.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.9 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, 0.7 TOV, 2.7 FPG 65.2/0/70.5 Splits on 67.6% TS
2022-23 Stats: 63 Games, 16.5 MPG, 7.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.5 BPG, 0.8 TOV, 2.4 FPG 56.3/14.3/65.1 Splits on 59.5% TS
From one surprise to another. In a similar position to Jalen Smith last season, Isaiah Jackson's spot on the team was also in jeopardy, but this was perhaps less serious than Smith's. With a full season of Tyrese Haliburton at the help and an improved roster, Jackson was expected to have a breakout season this year, and so far, he has kind of delivered on that promise.
Despite averaging a career-low in minutes so far, Jackson's Per 36 minutes stats look spectacular at 18/11 with three blocks. This alone shows that he is worth keeping around but the adjusted stats do not tell the full story.
With Jackson on the floor, Indiana is a much improved defensive team, improving their defensive rating by four points with Jackson playing as opposed to when he sits. The opponent's three-point percentage also goes down from 39% to 33%. However, the biggest gripe with Jackson's defense and his game overall is what it always has been and why his spot on the team was in jeopardy in the first place, that being his high foul rate.
Those per 36 minutes that pen Jackson at averaging 18/11 also have him averaging seven fouls a game, which is one full foul out with an extra foul. Jackson's lack of discipline on the defensive end is mostly what has prevented him from playing big minutes. He has all the talent in the world to be a starting-caliber center, yet his proneness to fouls makes him very hard to leave out there for long stretches, especially in the ends of close games with teams usually being in the bonus.
High foul rate aside, Jackson will get a good grade. So far, he has been the best Indiana can ask for in a third-string center, and unlike Smith, he will most likely be around for a while.
Final Grade: B+ (Steady improvement, but really needs to tone down the fouls)
Jarace Walker and Ben Sheppard
Walker's stats: 17 Games, 10.2 MPG, 4.4 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 1.2 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.4 BPG, 0.6 TOV, 1.0 FPG 42.4/37.5/85.7 Splits on 53.6% TS
Sheppard's stats: 34 Games, 10.8 MPG, 3.2 PPG, 1.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.5 SPG, 0.2 TOV, 1.3 FPG 37.4/28.8/82.4 Splits on 50.2% TS
Admittedly, there's not much to work with here. Walker and Sheppard haven't gotten much run in the first half of the season, logging only 530 minutes between them. However, they have both shown some nice flashes in that time.
We'll start with Walker. Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of this season, outside of the defense, has been the management of Walker's minutes and his development. So far, Walker has only really played four or so games where he has received legitimate rotation minutes and not just garbage time minutes.
In those games, he has shown solid potential though, namely his January 18 game against Sacramento where he scored a career-high 15 points and helped lead a short-handed Pacers team to a victory against a healthy Kings team.
One of the highest things on the second half of season wish list of most Pacers fans, myself included, is for Rick Carlisle to give Walker more minutes. After the Pascal Siakam trade left Indiana short of small forwards, Walker has a perfect opportunity to slide in at the 3 to give Indiana valuable minutes lost from trading Bruce Brown away.
As for Sheppard, while he has gotten more chances, his play has been mostly up and down. Of course, as his role is vastly different from Walker's, with it being of a 3&D guy, that makes sense. In the games he has played, Sheppard has shown some nice flashes, including the second Denver game, where his late-game heroics almost led to an upset Indiana win, and the most recent Toronto game, where he logged the third-most minutes of his career, so far, came away with a career-high 10 points and got the game-winning stop on RJ Barrett.
However, as evidenced by his shooting splits, he has also had his fair share of dud performances, including nights where fans were left puzzled why he was out there instead of Walker.
Overall, Sheppard and Walker have done just as well as you can expect first-round picks on playoff teams to do. While it would be nice of Walker to get more minutes, it would be completely understandable if Rick Carlisle used the first half of the season as some sort of gauge to determine if Walker should play the rest of the season.
Now that the 'rest of the season' is here, Carlisle and company will have to make a decision on the talented 20-year-old soon.
Final Grade: C+ (Good flashes from the rookies, still need to see more however)
Rick Carlisle
Speaking of Carlisle, how's he been doing?
Pretty well, I must say. Rick Carlisle's coaching style this season has been unlike his style any other year, especially his earlier years in Dallas. Usually known as a rather controlling coach who made players play his way, Carlisle has let up this season and let the Pacers play how they would like to play, resulting in one of the best, fastest-paced offenses of all time and exceeding expectations as a result.
For a guy whose teams usually play at a slower pace led by slower-paced, more grounded stars (see Dirk Nowitzki in Dallas and Jermaine O'Neal in the first Indiana stint), Carlisle's second Indiana tenure has been a nice surprise, as he has helped this Pacers team sort of revolutionize basketball and win plenty of games along the way.
Of course, no coach is perfect, and Carlisle has had plenty of hiccups along the way. For one, the defense. Usually a sound defensive coach, Carlisle has not been able to do much to help the Pacers on the other side of the ball, as they still rank bottom-five in the league in defensive rating.
In addition to the poor defense, in a topic touched on recently, Carlisle has not been the kindest to the rookies this season, rotation-wise. Of course, this is nothing new, as Carlisle has built a habit of being a rookie's worst nightmare unless said rookie is a transcendent talent such as Luka Doncic in 2018. However, even for his standards, the lack of playing time Jarace Walker has received has been a little egregious.
Of course, there is always the chance Carlisle was using the first half as a test of Walker's abilities, but that will have to be seen in the second half of the season, as will all doubts about his play.
So far, Carlisle has done a fine job on this Pacers team and has them ahead of schedule as dark-horse East contenders.
Final Grade: B (Doing as well as he can, but room for improvement)
Final thoughts and grade
Indiana Pacers current record: 32-25
Indiana Pacers record 57 games into 2022-23 season: 25-32
With everything being said, there is only one thing left to do, and that is give the Indiana Pacers as a whole their final grade. This is tricky, as Indiana came into the season with relatively high expectations for their standards but nothing special in overall league standards. Indiana was expected by some to finish as high as the fifth seed and as low as a play-in loss.
The Pacers were on the road to exceeding those expectations when they got Pascal Siakam, which is when those expectations shifted. Now, instead of being dark horse playoff candidates, the Pacers were being picked to win their first playoff series since 2014 and have a chance against any East team not named the Celtics.
Have they lived up to their pre-season expectations? Yes, pretty comfortably, in fact. Have they lived up to their post-Siakam expectations? That depends on how you look at things. While the Pacers' 7-8 record following the trade doesn't seem like the best, there is context to that record.
Tyrese Haliburton has spent basically that entire stretch either out with injury, or on a minutes restriction relating to injury, while Siakam barely knew the playbook for the first three games, resulting in three straight losses. In the last six games, the Pacers have picked up their groove, going 4-2 and trending upwards going into the All-Star break.
Can the Pacers keep their surging momentum into the end of the season and make a deep playoff run? That question is yet to be answered, along with many more. For now, the Pacers get a pretty good grade.
Their run pre-Siakam was surprising to many, and the trade for Siakam may just be the final straw they need or the first fall in a domino effect that could lead to another contender being born.