According to NBA insider Jake Fischer, Rick Carlisle has a larger say over the Indiana Pacers roster than almost any other head coach in the league, which is fantastic for the team (h/t Jake Fischer on Bleacher Report).
"From my understanding, behind the scenes, Rick Carlisle is one of the more active coaches in the league when it comes to influence over the roster...[Carlisle is] known around the league to have as formidable of a finger on the Pacers' roster construction and overall talent evaluation, just roster construction and player scouting and draft evaluations," Fischer said.
The Pacers have one of the best front offices and general staffs in the NBA. They did a fantastic job of building a team that is greater than the sum of its parts and getting them to buy into Carlisle's system. Additionally, they were also perhaps a Tyrese Haliburton injury away from bringing home their first-ever Larry O'Brien Trophy. Regardless, the Pacers have an incredibly bright future, and Carlisle's presence is a big reason for that.
Being able to let the former championship-winning coach have a say in who the team adds to their roster is a good thing. This will allow Carlisle to hand-pick certain players he is a fan of and can work well in his system. It can be a risky move, but so far, it has worked out tremendously well for him and the Pacers, who will aim to be title contenders for a long time.
The Pacers are in a great spot to compete for the foreseeable future
Things look rough for the Pacers next season. Haliburton will miss the entire year due to an Achilles injury, and they will have to figure out how to move forward without Myles Turner, who signed with the Milwaukee Bucks earlier this offseason. Regardless, their long-term outlook looks good.
Recently, the Pacers signed Carlisle to a multi-year extension, seemingly confirming that they plan on being in the title picture for a long time. Furthermore, they still have an incredibly young and talented team. No matter what happens next year, there are reasons to believe that Indiana will be able to make another trip to the NBA Finals soon enough.
Keeping Carlisle on board for at least a few more seasons is exciting for the Pacers. He has done a great job since returning to Indiana a few years ago, and he is also one of the greatest offensive minds the NBA has ever seen. Furthermore, if Fischer's report is accurate, it also seems that Carlisle is having a positive impact on the team-building aspect. For a Pacers team that is looking to stay competitive, this is a great position for them to be in.
The Pacers still have some decisions they need to make. Specifically, they need to determine whether players like Bennedict Mathurin and Jarace Walker will be with the team for the long haul or if they are going to move on from them at some point soon. Even so, they have given fans reason to believe they can make a serious run at a championship once again. Keeping Carlisle around only further proves that.