The Indiana Pacers were a good team last year. Making the Eastern Conference Finals after only having a goal of making the playoffs is a good outcome. It's something that everyone on the team is happy with, but they know that there is a level they still need to jump to.
Indiana is looking to be more than a good team. They are looking to be a great team. They are so good on the offensive side of the ball that they don't really need to be much better. Defensively is where they need to make the biggest improvement heading into next year.
Kevin Pritchard is the one who's in charge of putting together the best roster he possibly can for this team. He knows that they need a bit more if they want to make the NBA Finals. Speaking at a press conference announcing the new contract for Pascal Siakam, Pritchard gave some insight as to what he's looking for from the team this year.
Kevin Pritchard thinks the current Pacers pieces can get better defensively
The Pacers have a lot of players who need to get better defensively. Pritchard knows that but also thinks they can get better. At the press conference, Pritchard specifically called out Jarace Walker as a guy who he thinks can make a difference on that side of the court.
Pritchard also mentioned that the team collectively can get better on defense now that they have some continuity with the team and a full training camp with Siakam on board. The type of defense that the Pacers play is a lot different than what the Raptors play, so it was an adjustment for him.
Rick Carlisle made that point during the presser as well. He mentioned that the team should be a lot more connected defensively with a full offseason with all of the key pieces together. This team isn't going to make many more moves in free agency. This team is pretty much filled out as it is.
Defensively, they just need to be average. Pritchard is confident they can achieve that.