The start of the NBA season is fast approaching, and the Indiana Pacers have a decision to make regarding the ninth man in the rotation.
The starters are locked in. Tyrese Haliburton will return from his Achilles injury after a year away, while Aaron Nesmith will come back after missing half of 2025-26. Andrew Nembhard will hope to sustain his gap-year statistical bump. Importantly, Pascal Siakam and Ivica Zubac will hope to finally get the credit they deserve for their excellent overall play.
Beyond the top five, Indiana brought in Kelly Oubre Jr. as a priority signing in free agency due to his on-court fit. He will join a bench unit driven by TJ McConnell and Obi Toppin's nonstop tenacity and energy.
Still, that final spot is the only question mark left to start the year. If the team decides to forego that ninth player, their top eight will be playing an average of 30 minutes per game. While that would be low for starters, it would put a strain on the team from top to bottom.
That brings us to the hopefuls to claim that spot. Many have earmarked Jay Huff to be the final regular, but good teams do not play unworthy players. If Indiana wants to reach contender status once again, their rotation should not be defined by arbitrary position titles.
In fact, they simply cannot allow it to be.
Depth matters a lot more than anyone thinks
Both the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks played 11 players over 10 minutes a contest en route to meeting in the Finals. If the Pacers want to follow suit, they should probably do the same.
However, the Pacers lack the depth to make that an option. Jarace Walker has failed to prove any level of impact since he was drafted eighth overall in 2023. Draftmate Ben Sheppard has been a capable defender and increased his corner three point percentage last year, but is still unreliable as a shooter and as a rotation piece.
Beyond those two, Huff is nothing special as a backup center. He can shoot at an adequate but still unadvisable level; he can run the floor and attack a closeout; and he can rebound well enough.
The Pacers' depth falls into a strange category of being exciting to fans and still borderline unplayable. Huff was brought in to replace former Pacers lifer Myles Turner and did a decent job through Indiana's 19-win gap year.
But that trade explains the lack of a need for Huff. Indiana made a move for him because they had no other centers on the roster after Turner's departure. If Myles had instead re-signed, do they make the same move? It's unlikely.
If the Knicks' title taught us anything, it is to play just your best players. Ariel Hukporti was a non-factor in the rotation despite being the second/third string center, while New York played Jose Alvarado, Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Tyler Kolek – four small guards who have overlapping skill sets – big minutes.
Good teams fill needs. Great teams ignore them through playing their best players and making them work with an identity that cannot be impinged upon.
The path to the Pacers' revival is through that identity, not simply filling ten total roster slots for two point guards, four wings, two power forwards, and two centers.
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