The Indiana Pacers have wrapped up the first quarter of the season, and they sit at 13-9 following a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. (A loss that brought lots of drama to social media regarding a certain game ball.)
Indiana has much to celebrate. Tyrese Haliburton has been incredible, they went on a fun run to the finals of the In-Season Tournament, and their offense has been one of the best in the game of basketball.
However, they have some areas they can improve upon, too, so let's take a look at the areas of weakness and offer a solution to each one. How can the Pacers get better where they struggle the mos
Perhaps a trade? A change to the rotation or starting lineup?
1. Defense
While no one player or trade may fix this, head coach Rick Carlisle must get his team to commit to defending better. Though their offense ranks in the top part of multiple stat lines, their defense does not, as it's been one of the worst in the league.
The Pacers allow nearly 125 points a game. That is because the opposing teams' offenses are averaging a field goal percentage of 50.3%, which is tied for second-highest in the league. They also allow the sixth-highest three-point percentage at 38.1%.
If the Pacers can't pry Nikola Vucevic away from the Chicago Bulls, maybe Alex Caruso is available to switch jerseys in the Central Division. Matisse Thybulle, a swingman for Portland, is also an interesting name (averaging 1.5 steals a game). A trade seems like the best path forward to addressing this issue.
2. Rebounding
The Indiana Pacers are near the bottom of the list in terms of team rebounds. They only average 40.4 boards a game (ahead of only the Washington Wizards).
Having started all 22 games thus far for Indiana, big man Myles Turner is averaging only eight rebounds a game. That is an average of two a quarter. The next closest is Jalen Smith, with 5.5 rebounds per contest, and he comes off the bench and has been injured as of late.
The Pacers must improve on crashing the boards. Obi Toppin is the starting power forward, and he is averaging under four rebounds a game. He averages 24 minutes a game, which is barely four minutes less than what Turner plays.
One suggestion: Trade a pair of expendable players (Buddy Hield and rookie Jarace Walker) and a first-round draft pick for a guy like Nicola Vucevic.
Vucevic's name is no stranger to trade rumors, as he is playing for a team that is winning less than 40% of their games. The Chicago Bulls seem primed for a roster reset.
Unless Indiana brings in someone who can help, it will be up to everyone else on the roster to step up and improve in pulling the ball following their opponents' missed shots.
3. Fouling and allowing free throws
Though a team is not cannot defend the free throw attempts themselves, the Indiana Pacers need to do a better job of preventing their opponents from hitting the charity stripe.
Indiana averages about 22.5 fouls a game, which is in the top three for the most in the league. Opponents have capitalized on this by averaging 28.7 attempts per game, which makes an already-poor Indiana defense even worse.
This means the Pacers are donating nearly 20% of their points allowed without a minute or second coming off the clock. A more disciplined team must take the court if Indiana looks to reduce these numbers and continue their winning ways.
Defending without fouling should be one of the Pacers' first steps toward improving their defense, so it could potentially fit in with that bullet point, but the issue has been so bad this season that the topic deserves it's own section.
A trade for a big man to help on the boards, along with a swap for a strong defender on the outside, could buck these trends for the Pacers. Or perhaps they find it within themselves to pull the ball in better and stop sending the other team to the free-throw line for extra points.