On Saturday, October 10th, the Indiana Pacers played the Atlanta Hawks in their second preseason matchup. While this wasn't expected to be anything special – no preseason game is particularly noteworthy – it was disappointing to see the Pacers fall at the buzzer, 119-117.
This was a game that the Pacers controlled before eventually coming up short in the final few quarters. The Pacers led the Hawks by two points in the first half before falling behind by eight in the third quarter, a margin so small that it's a little shocking that Indiana couldn't mount a comeback.
There are plenty of things to point to as a reason why the Pacers lost. No single player played more than 20 minutes, and Kelly Oubre Jr. led the team in plus-minus at a measly +5.
There shouldn't be too much to take from a preseason game in which the returning superstar (Tyrese Haliburton) at the center of all the Pacers' aspirations didn't play, but there is a worrying trend growing. Despite the addition of these Ivica Zubac, the Pacers are still struggling to rebound at a level they will need to reach contender status.
The boards are not on board
Jarace Walker continues to mount a bit of a breakout campaign in preseason, leading the team in rebounding with seven boards. This was always going to be the easiest way for him to claim playing time by improving as a playmaker and a hustle player. Across two preseason games, he's averaging over five rebounds and over six assists.
However, as exciting as it is to see a former top-10 draft pick go from nearly useless to excelling, it is truly worrying to see the Pacers fail to rebound at a rate that fits their talent in this game.
Two things can be true at once. The Atlanta Hawks have a great set of young bigs between Jalen Johnson and Onyeka Okongwu. Their wings rebound at a good level, with Lou Dort picking up six of his own and CJ McCollum offering five boards. However, the entire calculus in acquiring Zubac was that the Pacers would now finally have a rebounding big man the likes of which they had never had with Myles Turner.
While it's not fair to put the entire team's rebounding just on Zubac, the Pacers had zero offensive rebounds to the Hawks' 10 across the entirety of game time. Those extra possessions were the difference between a win and a loss.
That is simply not a winning formula for the Pacers.
It's hard not to be overdramatic about preseason. After all, we all missed basketball over the summer, and any opportunity to give takes and thoughts will immediately be met with excitement. Excitement leads to exaggeration, and exaggeration leads to blindness.
That's not anything new, but at the same time, neither are the Pacers' rebounding problems.
When someone tells you who they are, you should believe them, and when someone tells you they fixed their biggest character flaw, you should test them.
So far in preseason, the Pacers have failed the very test they have set for themselves.
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