Three young Pacers who solidified their spot on the team after the playoffs

Andrew Nembhard

Let's start with the most obvious example. Andrew Nembhard was a force in the Bucks series. Despite standing at a modest 6-foot-4, Nembhard led all rotation players in field goal percentage, shooting almost 60% as well as a scorching 45% from deep.

Additionally, his series-long feud with Bobby Portis made him something of a villain in the Milwaukee Bucks fanbase, as the 'frontrunner' comments by Portis made after Game 2 spoke volumes and essentially gave the Pacers the 'frontrunner' term for the rest of the series.

Against New York, Nembhard improved his shooting to almost 53% from deep and 55% from the field and had one of the greatest shots in Pacer's playoff history. Despite Game 3 being a disaster for him until the end. his dagger deep three to put Indiana up three points was enough to give Indiana their first win of the series and the momentum needed to take the series win away from New York.

However, the Celtics series was his magnum opus. After two of his usual games to start the series, scoring 12 and 16 points in the first 2 games on 50% shooting, respectively, Nembhard exploded in the final two games. With Tyrese Haliburton out due to a hamstring injury, Nembhard scored 32 points and dished out nine assists on 57% shooting in Game 3 and followed that up with 24 points and 10 assists on 56% shooting in Game 4 to give the Celtics the fight of their lives.

Despite the Celtics completing the sweep after three come-from-behind wins, Nembhard still made his mark on the series and in the NBA, with plenty of fans and players alike taking note and tuning in to his performances

Nembhard has one year left on his rookie contract and has a player option for the 2025-26 season. He also becomes eligable for an extension this summer, so it is possible that the Pacers could lock him up long-term before any team even gets a second look at him.

With Tyrese Haliburton and Pascal Siakam due for a large sum of money as well, Indiana may not be able to offer Nembhard as much as he wants without dipping into the luxury tax, which may be inevitable at this point. With a player like Nembhard who will be in high demand as a potential starting point guard for other teams, it is in Indiana's best interest that they keep him around for the backcourt alongside Haliburton.