Yesterday, the Indiana Pacers took part in Media Day, just one day before the beginning of training camp and the official start to the new season. Naturally, there is a lot to be excited about as the team prepares to follow up on their successful 2023-24 campaign, and this was evident during Media Day.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest moments from the Pacers' Media Day session as the team begins preparing for its first preseason game one week from today against the Atlanta Hawks.
1. Bennedict Mathurin is fully healthy
Last season, Mathurin was enjoying a solid second season in the NBA before suffering a torn labrum in March, an injury that kept him out for the rest of the season, including playoffs. This was a devastating injury for Mathurin and the team. However, it appears that this is entirely a thing of the past.
According to SI.com's Tony East, Mathurin revealed that he has fully healed from his shoulder injury and is ready for training camp.
Bennedict Mathurin says his shoulder is healed and he's been full go for about a month and a half.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) September 30, 2024
2. James Wiseman's groin injury will limit him during training camp
On the flip side, the Pacers revealed some bad injury news as well. According to head coach Rick Carlisle, James Wiseman, who signed with the team this offseason, is dealing with "a groin issue." Carlisle says this will force Wiseman to be a limited participant during training camp this year.
Beyond that, it is unknown how serious of an issue it is or if it will impact his availability for preseason or the start of the regular season. However, given that Wiseman will still participate in training camp in some capacity is a good sign for the big man as he aims to revive his NBA career.
3. Tyrese Haliburton is using doubt as a main motivator
As was the story with the Pacers last season, many are continuing to doubt the team and their stars. Despite Indiana's conference finals appearance just a few months ago, they continue to get overlooked in discussions for potential Eastern Conference champions next season. This sentiment is something that the players have taken notice of as well.
During Media Day, Haliburton spoke about using the doubt of critics, analysts, and fans as his and the team's biggest motivation for the 2024-25 season.
Tyrese Haliburton shares that he is motivated by many things heading into the coming season, but the main one is the doubt that he's seen from other that the Pacers run last playoffs was legitimate.
— Tony East (@TonyREast) September 30, 2024
4. Pascal Siakam says Jarace Walker is ready to take that next step
One of the most interesting developments of Media Day was Siakam's praise of Walker. Walker had a disappointing rookie campaign last year, appearing in just 33 games for the Pacers. However, according to Siakam, the 21-year-old is prepared to take that next step.
Siakam cited Walker's work ethic and mindset of always wanting to get better as big reasons he will turn things around during his young NBA career.
"A lot of young players don’t have that 'I wanna learn, I wanna get better mentality' and he has that. I always tell him, 'Your time’s coming.' You just have to continue to work, be ready, and don’t take anything for granted," Siakam said.
Though he was disappointing last season, Walker has a lot of potential and can become an immediate contributor on this Pacers team.