The Indiana Pacers were a lot of good things in the 2024-25 season. Offensive rebounders were not one of them. This year, they are looking to turn that trend around.
Last season, the Pacers ranked 29th in offensive rebounds per game. They averaged 8.9 ORPG during the year. The team was 0.5 ORPG better than the 30th-place Milwaukee Bucks, but over a full rebound per game behind the 25th-place Chicago Bulls. It seems that Rick Carlisle and company made a significant push to change this reality coming into this new season.
The emphasis shows.
New year, new prominence
With the early statistical returns beginning to note trends across the league, the Pacers sit at 4th in offensive rebounds per game at 14.3. They had 16 in Saturday’s win alone against the Golden State Warriors.
This large jump in offensive rebounds plays a role in changing the narrative around the team. Almost 5.5 ORPG more than last year shows the reality that the team will need to win differently, primarily due to injuries.
A lot of Indiana's improvements can be attributed to the contributions from Isaiah Jackson and Tony Bradley, who are each averaging 2.3 and 2.2 ORPG, respectively.
Winning differently in 2025-'26
First, this squad needs to recognize the lower quality of shots being taken by the team. This is not a slight toward shot takers, but a recognition that Tyrese Haliburton is not on the court putting his teammates in prime shooting positions.
Good shots will be taken, but they will certainly be harder to find.
Further, when more misses are happening, the team will need to compensate by multiplying possessions through offensive rebounds. Crashing the boards limits the impact of a lower shooting percentage, allowing the offense multiple cracks at scoring on a single trip down the floor.
Second, it needs to be understood the lower (or simply, developmental) quality of the players on the court, not named Pascal Siakam or Aaron Nesmith.
Saturday’s starting lineup included Isaiah Jackson, Jarace Walker, and Quenton Jackson (who balled out, by the way with a career high 25 points against the Warriors. Check out my quick take on Quenton Jackson here) – three guys that are incredibly promising, but clearly still developing.
Flipping the script on the offensive rebounds each game will allow for margin as these guys and the new or developing bench play night-in and night-out. I doubt we are going to see many 70% shooting quarters this season, a feat the Pacers achieved 11 times last year, but that doesn’t mean this team can’t win. They will just have to learn how to win differently. And I believe they can.