They may not be the best team in the NBA on paper, but when things are clicking for them, the Indiana Pacers are arguably the toughest team to defend in the league. This has never been a secret, but fans still shouldn't get tired of hearing this praise, especially if it comes from someone like Jaylen Brown, who has dealt with the Pacers first-hand.
In the first episode of Season 2 of Starting 5 on Netflix, the Celtics star spoke about how challenging it is for him and the team to guard Indiana, all while also praising its playstyle.
"That Pacers team is hard to guard, just in general. They play with such a pace. I actually love the way they play," Brown said. "A lot of respect for Indiana. Tyrese [Haliburton], him being at the head of that snake, he's able to just find guys in rhythm."
The Pacers' unique style of play makes their offense elite
On paper, the Pacers don't have the most stacked team in the NBA.
Outside of Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam, nobody on the team has ever been an All-Star. Additionally, most of the team consists of players who were outcasts on their previous teams (Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith, among others).
Still, in 2023-24, they were the highest-scoring team in the NBA (123.3 PPG) and had the second-best offensive rating (121.0), only behind the champion Boston Celtics. And after New Year's last season, the Pacers' 119.4 offensive rating was the fifth-best in the NBA, according to StatMuse.
Why is that? Ultimately, it mostly comes down to one specific advantage Indiana has over every other team: Rick Carlisle.
Carlisle has developed a reputation as arguably the best offensive mind in the NBA today, and one of the greatest ones in league history. His ability to constantly play to his players' strengths offensively and get the most out of them makes him among the best at what he does. It is also why the Pacers are a team that cannot be counted out, no matter what the roster looks like.
For Indiana specifically, Carlisle has done an excellent job of creating the perfect system to allow everybody on the roster to mesh well alongside each other.
Carlisle has implemented a run-and-gun system for the Pacers. This essentially means that the team is focused on pushing the tempo, making quick decisions, moving the ball often, and improvising for the length of the game. Playing basketball this way isn't easy, but when it works, it's like magic.
Additionally, according to Carlisle himself, some have said that he and the Pacers are changing the game because of their playstyle and roster construction.
"I've had the comments said to me...the way we play over the last couple of years has changed the game some, and it's changed people's view on roster construction, because we aren't a superteam with three superstars and a bunch of role players. We're built differently. (Team president) Kevin Pritchard, (general manager) Chad Buchanan have done a great job of getting us hard-playing, great people that are unselfish and that are willing to do things that others aren't," Carlisle said.
The Pacers have the perfect system in place with the perfect roster. Haliburton excels in this system because of his elite decision-making and passing, and being able to perform at such an elite level while also performing at such a fast pace. And to make things better for them, it is incredibly difficult for other teams to replicate it because of their perfect combination of personnel and players.
Indiana is one of the most fun teams to watch in the NBA for a reason, so much so that even the team's opponents can't help but watch them perform in awe.