The Indiana Pacers are preparing to have a committee at center next season, but if that fails to work, they may have to look to free agency in the future to turn things around.
Earlier this offseason, long-time Pacers big man Myles Turner shockingly joined the Milwaukee Bucks. The Texas native was not perfect, but his loss was still a big one for the team. He could stretch the floor, protect the rim, and run in Indiana's fast-paced offense. There were reasons not to bring him back, but his absence will still be felt, especially next season.
It was always going to be a challenge for the Pacers to replace Turner. Instead of committing to a one-for-one replacement, the Pacers are opting to run a committee at the position and see who sticks out. Currently, they have Isaiah Jackson, Jay Huff, James Wiseman, and Tony Bradley rostered. There is potential for this to work, but there is also an equal chance this backfires, especially as the Pacers look to remain in title contention.
If the Pacers can't figure it out and need to look to other options to fix their center problems, they may have to look to free agency in the future. They are historically not much of a free agent destination, so hopefully for them, they can turn things around to give themselves more options in the future.
The Pacers have a tough center situation to navigate
Over the next couple of seasons, there are going to (potentially) be some intriguing big man options in free agency. This includes guys like Nikola Jokic, Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, and Karl-Anthony Towns, as well as lesser-tier guys who could make an impact. How well they could each fit with Indiana in the future (if they were to hit free agency) is a fair debate. However, all of these players provide intrigue and would theoretically be an upgrade at center today.
In the meantime, Indiana will commit to letting their centers fight it out and see who comes out on top. All of them have potential for one reason or another. However, none of them are certified starting centers on a championship-level team.
Jackson is fresh off an Achilles injury and has never had a long-term expanded role in the league. Wiseman is also coming off an Achilles injury and is considered one of the biggest draft busts in recent history. Huff had a breakout year last season, but he also has yet to make a consistent impact in an expanded role. And, as for Bradley, even if he makes the team, he has the least amount of upside of all the options.
With next year looking like a potential gap year for Indiana, they will take that as an opportunity to showcase some of their younger talent and experiment with the roster a bit. This should be great news for the team's centers.
As it stands, the presumed starter for Indiana next year is Jackson. The Michigan native has the most experience with the team and has shown he can be a great fit. However, as it stands, it is fair to assume the Pacers will keep their options open for the long run.