The Indiana Pacers have been one of the best offensive teams in the NBA over the past few seasons, finishing second and ninth in offensive rating in each of the past two seasons. However, their defense has long been a bit of a question mark.
Indiana has some solid defensive players on the roster. Andrew Nembhard has established himself as a legitimate lockdown on-ball defender, Pascal Siakam is a versatile defender who can guard multiple positions at every level, and Aaron Nesmith is the best wing defender on the team. Even so, their overall team defense isn't always great.
The Pacers haven't had a top-10 finish in defensive rating since 2019-20, when their 108 DRTG ranked as the sixth-best. However, they made a major leap last season, finishing as the 13th-best defense by DRTG, and it looks like that story hasn't completely changed this time around.
The Pacers have become a legitimate defensive unit
Despite a slow start to the season defensively, allowing 123.6 PPG in their first five games, the Pacers have drastically turned things around.
In their last 10 games, Indiana's 112.8 defensive rating ranks as the 11th-best in the league, according to NBA.com. Additionally, its 6 blocks per game is tied for the most across that span with the Chicago Bulls and Dallas Mavericks. The Pacers are also limiting opponents to 30.9% shooting from beyond the arc, only ranking behind Dallas.
Following Myles Turner's departure in the offseason, the Pacers' defense was expected to regress significantly. While he wasn't the same defender he was even a few years ago because of his loss of mobility and quickness, the Texas native was still a solid rim protector.
While the Pacers have still mostly struggled to keep opponents out of the paint (they're allowing 53.9 paint points per game on the season), they are making big improvements guarding the rim. And a lot of this has to do with Jay Huff's breakout.
On the season, Huff is averaging a league-leading 2.3 blocks per game. Additionally, he has averaged 3.3 blocks in his last seven games.
The Virginia alum has played a big role in the Pacers' defensive (and offensive) turnaround, and head coach Rick Carlisle confirmed as much during an appearance on The Fan Morning Show on 93.5 & 107.5 The Fan on Tuesday.
“He’s made great progress, and he’s a terrific kid. He’s certainly been a big part of it with his ability to stretch the floor,” Carlisle said about Huff.
It also helps that the Pacers are getting healthier and that the team is finding its groove. However, their improvements on defense can't go unnoticed. And while it may not be enough to save their current season, they will certainly look to carry this momentum over into the rest of the campaign and into next year before aiming to re-enter the title picture.