If there were an award for best starting lineup in the NBA, the Indiana Pacers would certainly be in the conversation for it. With the three-headed monster of Tyrese Haliburton, Pascal Siakam, and Ivica Zubac flanked by any two of Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith, and Kelly Oubre Jr., there are very few teams that can match that level of talent in total, let alone with their first five.
The only teams that could realistically be in conversation with Indiana are the Philadelphia 76ers, the New York Knicks, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the San Antonio Spurs.
However, while the Pacers can keep up with those four teams going starting lineup for starting lineup, they struggle to match up with those rivals when it comes to depth.
Indiana's biggest issue is expected to be with their bench unit. While there is talent there, it's not like TJ McConnell, Obi Toppin, and one of those three aforementioned wings is putting fear into the hearts of other teams.
It's not like the other teams have superstars coming in as sixth men, but the Sixers have capable complementary options in Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope alongside a complete wildcard like LaBaron Philon. The Spurs have veterans to steady their young starters waiting in the wings. Even the Knicks have Jose Alvarado and an incredibly interchangeable group of forwards and bigs.
If those teams can run a ten-man rotation in the regular season, they will enter the playoffs better rested and with more experiments run on different lineups. The Pacers, alternatively, will need to either sacrifice in the regular season or enter the postseason overworked and exhausted.
It's between a rock and a hard place unless Indiana makes a move to fix their biggest problem.
Who takes Indiana over the top?
Finding a trade for the Pacers to solve the lack of depth is nearly impossible. After all, Indiana needs a bench creator, a backup big, and a wing defender all in one. That type of player would cost more than the team would like to give up.
It's also not a particularly easy archetype to find, let alone to trade for. The Pacers need a player who can play anywhere from the two to the four, hit shots, and defend like his life depends on it. Truthfully, that sounds like they need another Aaron Nesmith/Pascal Siakam hybrid.
That would be, conservatively, a top-25 player in basketball.
Instead, the answer may be in a buy-low second-draft candidate. The Pacers could hope that bringing in a talented player who has failed elsewhere can result in a breakout and a change in fortune.
It won't be easy to match the resources that other teams have spent on their reserves, but in place of assets, Indiana can use their aggression to make things work. Whether that's a trade for an established veteran or a bargain-bin developmental plan, the answer is out there.
Indiana can hang with the best of them, but can they outlast them as well?
That will be the question that defines this Pacers season.
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