17 playoff games do a lot to a young team, and for the Indiana Pacers, it gives them a much better outlook on their offseason.
Going into the playoffs, the Pacers' front office was hoping that a lot of players getting their first taste of playoff basketball would make their offseason decisions much easier. With Tyrese Haliburton's extension kicking in and Pascal Siakam's inevitable new contract, there clearly was not going to be enough money to keep the team around and improve the roster around the edges. For that reason, these playoffs essentially became a litmus test to see which players would be worth keeping on the roster long-term and which players would be headed elsewhere.
Overall, basically every Pacer who got consistent minutes did well in the playoffs. However, three stood out as having the most potential with the Pacers and as the building blocks of this team. In fact, you can say that each one of these three players had their breakout in a different series, even the sweep by Boston. The Pacers are a multi-talented group of young players with youth to spare, but there comes a time when it's time to make some players your top priority and call it a tenure with some other players.
Without any further ado, here are three players who have solidified their spot with the Pacers for the future.
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.
Isaiah Jackson
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the battle between Isaiah Jackson and Jalen Smith for who was going to be the Pacers' backup big man was an interesting topic. Smith had a rough 2023 campaign, which jeopardized his spot on the team for the future, but he seemed to pick it up to start the next season. With added muscle, a better jumper, and more aggressiveness down low, Jalen Smith looked to be Indiana's big man of the future.
That was, until around the halfway point of the season. During Smith's absence due to injury, Isaiah Jackson took over as the backup center and put in a very admirable effort filling in. His efficiency inside, ability to block shots, rebound the ball, and hustle hard on every possession was seen as very valuable to a Pacers team that lacked consistent rebounding and hustle all season. His play was so impressive that he was quickly thrust into Indiana's playoff rotation over Smith, despite Smith recovering from his injury by then.
After not playing much in the first-round series against Milwaukee, Jackson was given the premier bench big-man role against New York due to his physicality against centers like Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa.
Averaging around 12 minutes per game through seven games, Jackson made the most of his time on the floor, averaging close to six points on 65% from the field and three rebounds with almost a block and a half per game. These numbers do not seem like much, but they were just enough to offset the physicality of New York's big men and give Indiana the strength advantage they needed in the final two games of the series.
While Jackson was less productive in the Boston series, only averaging 10 minutes per game with 2.3 points on 36% shooting with 3.8 rebounds, the second-round stretch solidified his spot on the team long-term. Myles Turner is fantastic, but he gets criticized quite often for being 'soft' and shying away from contact, which is what makes Jackson the perfect bruising big man to back him up.
Additionally, Jackson is signed on for the next season, while Jalen Smith is not. With Smith only playing seven games through the playoffs and 38 minutes total in addition to having a player option for the following season, it is increasingly more likely that he will either be a trade piece or just walk from the team to pursue a contract elsewhere.
Ben Sheppard
When the Indiana Pacers drafted Ben Sheppard with the 26th overall pick last year, they were probably not expecting him to factor into a playoff rotation anytime soon, especially with Rick Carlisle's reputation for not playing rookies heavy minutes.
Surprisingly, Sheppard was a standout performer in Indiana's regular season and slowly worked his way into a playoff rotation going forward. In the first round against Milwaukee, not only did Sheppard play, but he excelled.
Snatching the backup shooting guard spot due to Bennedict Mathurin's injury in the second half of the season, Sheppard averaged close to 18 minutes in the Bucks series and averaged around six points and three rebounds on a scorching-hot 50% from the field and 50% from deep to match. Out of all the young Pacers to get playoff minutes, Sheppard was perhaps the most surprising due to his discipline on defense and ability to shoot the ball whenever needed.
Sheppard continued this hot streak with increased minutes against New York. In seven games against the Knicks, he played around 20 minutes per contest and once again averaged around six points and three rebounds, this time on 48% from the field and 45% from deep, slightly less elite numbers but still very impressive.
Moreover, Sheppard gave the Pacers a few things they were desperately looking for, which was solid defense on Jalen Brunson. Brunson was tearing the Indiana defense apart in the first two games of the series as well as Game 5, but thanks to increased defensive pressure, some from Sheppard, Indiana was able to slow Brunson down just enough to take the series.
Against Boston, Sheppard played by far the most minutes he played all season with about 22 per game, even starting the final two games after Tyrese Haliburton went down with his hamstring injury. Unfortunately, this was where Sheppard's luck ran out as he only averaged three points and three rebounds on 28% from the field and a mere 8% from deep.
Despite Indiana's offense being on fire for most of the series, Sheppard was basically the only Pacer to not get his offense going. However, his defense was still solid as he did everything he could on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, even getting a few key stops down the stretch.
Either way, Sheppard has secured his spot on this team. At just under 23 years old and only making just over $10 million for the next three years provided Indiana accepts his two-year team option at the end of the 2025 season, Sheppard is a cheap 3-and-D addition to the rotation who can slide in and play any role, even with Bennedict Mathurin returning for next season.