Despite their down year this season, a lot of fans had high hopes for the Indiana Pacers' young guys. The Pacers have always been able to develop players and find hidden gems. And with Tyrese Haliburton out and Myles Turner gone, this was the season for the team to find their next set of players who can help them compete for a championship.
Unfortunately for Indiana, things haven't exactly worked out in its favor.
Jarace Walker looks like a massive disappointment, Ben Sheppard failed to impress in his expanded role, and while Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson look fine, it is still unclear just how high their ceiling is. Plus, Johnny Furphy has missed most of the season due to an ankle injury.
To make matters worse for the Pacers, not only are they struggling in this area, but there are plenty of other teams around the league that are thriving. And this includes some rival teams they are all too familiar with.
Bucks and Cavaliers have found their new contributors
While many players on Indiana's roster have failed to step up, the same cannot be said for two of its division rivals, including the Milwaukee Bucks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Despite their rocky season so far, the Bucks have one clear silver lining in the emergence of Ryan Rollins. The 23-year-old, who is currently on his third team in four seasons, is averaging 17.7 points, 4 rebounds, 5.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game while shooting 48.1% from the field and 40.5% from deep.
Rollins is also second in the NBA in deflections per game with 5.3, only trailing Dyson Daniels of the Atlanta Hawks.
The former second-round pick is establishing himself as a real asset in Milwaukee, and he may be among the favorites to win the Most Improved Player award once the season wraps up. Regardless of what the Bucks' future holds, they should feel confident in Rollins' breakout and his ability to help the team for the long run.
As for the Cavaliers, they are getting incredible play out of second-year guard Jaylon Tyson, and Nae'Qwan Tomlin is looking like a potential contributor as well.
In a recent episode of the "Locked On Pacers" podcast, Tony East pointed out Tyson's fantastic performance against the team on Monday, when he recorded 27 points on 10-for-13 shooting, 11 rebounds, four assists, and one steal.
"Last night, Pacers-Cavs. Jaylon Tyson. Clearly Jaylon Tyson, the Cavs are like, 'Sweet. This is a guy,'" East said.
As for Tomlin, his upside isn't as high. He is turning 25 years old on Dec. 10 and was an undrafted free agent last year. Still, he has shown flashes of potential, including an 18-point performance against the Toronto Raptors on Nov. 13. He shot 8-for-10 from the field that game and also logged six rebounds and two steals in 22 minutes.
The Pacers still have a bright future, and they should be in a better spot to compete for the long haul than Milwaukee or maybe even Cleveland. However, this is still an area of concern for them that they must solve by the end of this season.