For much of the summer, this site has been focusing on the Indiana Pacers' biggest perceived weakness: the depth of the roster, should the injury apocalypse of 2024-25 continue.
There is good news and bad news in this regard. Unfortunately for the Pacers, it looks like the team's injury luck has continued to be poor. Aaron Nesmith missed the first game of the season with a hamstring strain, and TJ McConnell is out with the same injury. Even worse, Ivica Zubac suffered an ankle injury against the Brooklyn Nets and is expected to be out for the next few weeks.
The good news, however, is that in that same game against the Nets, the Pacers played 10 players considerable minutes and got value out of almost all, if not all, of them. Even Larry Nance Jr., who was widely expected to be the worst player on the Pacers roster, managed to contribute in the blowout 136 to 109 win.
With Zubac still out and McConnell's return still uncertain, this is the type of depth the team will need to have available to them. The saying goes, strength in numbers, but Indiana will need more than just that. They'll need strength, flexibility, heart, and commitment from all 14 players on standard deals to survive losing two of their top eight players on a roster that already seemed light on playable talent.
The Pacers will need more of Sunday's mentality and success if they want to continue their climb in the now-deadly Eastern Conference.
The depth resurfaces
Since the injury to Zubac, so many of the conversations have been around backup center Jay Huff, who is expected to get the most considerable jump in playing time as the direct replacement for the Croatian center.
While that is a fair argument to make, it also seems possible for some other players to see their roles increase instead.
Pascal Siakam will likely play considerably more as a small center. Obi Toppin, who is off to a startlingly good start to the season after a truly dreadful preseason, will see more minutes as a backup big as well.
However, if there's one move that can most effectively solve the Pacers' need for defense and rebounding, it is the team committing to it together. Even if it means fewer fast-break opportunities per game, the Pacers will need to commit more players to the defensive glass so they don't get beaten there the way they did for much of last season.
Surviving the loss of your team's third-best player is always a hard thing to do, and it'll take a concerted effort from Indiana to stay stable in a time of difficulty.
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