With all but one of their roster spots filled, the Indiana Pacers will have to look at their internal options for answers. The top eight of the roster are already seemingly set, with the five starters already nailed down, and the bench trio of TJ McConnell, free agency signing Kelly Oubre Jr., and Obi Toppin waiting in the wings.
Indiana currently lacks a real backup shooting guard option if recent retainee Quenton Jackson and Braden Smith both fail to be difference makers (if we're being honest, both are point guards). Their center rotation has been cut down to just Ivica Zubac and Jay Huff.
While Toppin headlines their forward depth alongside starter Pascal Siakam, there is still so much left to be desired. Can Jarace Walker live up to his top-pick pedigree after years of faltering?
The Pacers are clearly hoping that their gap year has allowed them to find one difference-maker, not including the home run trade for Zubac. If they are unable to find that, even after one of the most miserable to watch campaigns in recent Pacers history, they may have failed to put themselves in championship consideration.
But the answer isn't that simple.
Simplicity comes in all forms
Maybe the answer lies in a player who flourishes not with more opportunity, but simply in higher-stakes environments.
Maybe the answer is a defensive specialist out of Belmont who shot 44 percent from the field and 36 percent from three despite the lack of advantageous situations, playing well enough without the playmaking strengths of Tyrese Haliburton to boost him.
Maybe the answer lies in Ben Sheppard. The wing could become a player similar to Oubre, a player of the ilk the Pacers clearly covet. If he could simply become a better shooter, the rotation could be cut down to nine men, with the rest functioning in an injury reserve role.
It's always a lot to ask for a player's development to be reduced to their ability to shoot. It's often unfair and often unsuccessful. Think of all the names that were just a jump shot away from stardom. The Thompson Twins, Ben Simmons, Metta World Peace if we're going into the vault of Pacers of years past.
No, that wouldn't be fair to Sheppard, but what if that was the whipped cream on top of the sundae, instead of the ice cream everyone came to see?
Fans are overlooking Sheppard because of his lack of perceived potential. Even if he becomes a great shooter, he's still just a three-and-D wing. The Pacers already have Aaron Nesmith and Kelly Oubre; why do they need another?
The truth is, depth matters. In baseball, the concept of an innings-eater is why pitchers get so overpaid. Why should we not consider the same for a playable wing?
If the goal is to get the rotation to the playoffs safely and healthily, minimizing minutes in the regular season needs to be a priority. For that to work, the Pacers can't be putting too much on any one player to define a position.
Ben Sheppard could solve that as a two and three off the bench. He is this season's biggest X-Factor.
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