The Indiana Pacers need to figure out who their Bennedict Mathurin replacement is going to be. But with a lot of luck, they can find it in this year's draft. As long as things go their way, they should be fine.
Indiana traded Mathurin to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier this month as part of the Ivica Zubac deal. And while the addition of Zubac is an exciting one for the team, losing Mathurin is tough. He is an incredibly gifted iso scorer who could score on all three levels, and the Pacers don't have an obvious replacement for him yet.
Fortunately for them, there are some solid options in the draft, most notably Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa. These two are widely considered the two best scorers in the draft (and at least two of the three best prospects), and the Pacers would be thrilled to add either of them to the roster. But whether they will be able to or not is a completely different story.
The Pacers will need a lot of luck to secure a high draft pick
Barring something absolutely absurd, Peterson and Dybantsa will not fall out of the top-three in his year's draft. So for Indiana to be able to draft either of them, they will need a top-three pick.
With a 15-44 record, the Pacers own the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the second-worst in the NBA. Additionally, they are two games ahead of the Sacramento Kings, who are 13-46.
According to Tankathon.com, the Pacers currently have a 52.1% chance of landing a top-four pick in the draft and a 14% chance of securing the first overall pick. But they are also just 3.5 games behind the Utah Jazz, who own the sixth-worst record in the league. For reference, Utah currently has a 37.2% chance of getting a top-four pick and just a 9% chance of landing No. 1.
It's a tight race at the bottom of the standings, and even winning one game could make a huge impact on Indiana's placement for the worse. Plus, it's important to remember that the Pacers technically traded their first-round pick for this year to the Clippers as part of the Mathurin-Zubac deal. But because it's heavily protected (it goes to Los Angeles if it falls between picks 5-9), there's a 50-50 chance it stays with them. This is a huge risk that many fans are still unhappy they took.
Peterson and Dybantsa have what it takes to be game-changers in the NBA, especially for the Pacers. They would both be fantastic additions to the squad, and they would be incredibly helpful in replacing Mathurin. But will the Pacers get that lucky? Only time will tell.